Misery's Minions
by MelloKai
Summary: Gaasaku.Sakura and Naruto are caught up in a world of vampires and weird stuff. Lemon? Gaasaku. . KakaTema/ TemaShika. Naruto is turning into a vampire, but Sakura becomes a bite- a human food factory.GORE WARNING. Story on Hiatus for now while I work Behind Locked Doors and Hatake Naruto.
1. A Meating at the Piggly Wiggly

"I'M COMING, I'M coming..." Sakura grumbled, hefting the tray of food higher up. Heavily laden with plates of steaming food, it was a hassle to carry to through the crowded restaurant. She was one of the few waitresses that could manage it, but today it was an ordeal even for her.

Exceptional balance hadn't always been her thing. When she first hit puberty her legs shot out, long and gangly, before she had any idea what to do with them. She tripped over her own feet, and often fell to scar her then-knobby knees forever. Sakura glanced around, the memory of the scabbing knees evident as she thumped her leg off of a chair that had suddenly been thrust into her line of motion. Miraculously, she saved the tray of food, despite the throbbing that was now spreading.

She set the tray down on the collapsible support table, and started handing out her dishes. Of course, it had to be the wrong table. Sakura hurriedly apologized and ducked her head as she slowly lifted her things. Embarrassed as she was, she could not rush with the process, lest she spill the mill.

Sakura paused to brush her bangs out of her eyes, and sighed with relief as she recognized the people at her table. "Hey, guys. Sorry 'bout the mix-up. Busy day, ya know?"

The wife and her husband just laughed, and their little children giggled. Sakura loved Cloe and Jeremiah to death, but she couldn't stand their kids. Her mother used to say that they were as evil as Satan himself. Sakura repressed a pained grunt as Jessa, the youngest of the two, kicked her square in the shin. Sakura strained to maintain her vow of "Friendly Service With a Soothing Smile," though in truth the grimace was more terrifying than soothing. Since when did servers need to sooth their patrons, anyway?

In Sakura's experience, if _anyone _need soothing, it was the waiters and waitresses. Probably the most overlooked public servants next to the sanitary works, waiters and waitresses control your _food. _A good rule of thumb when dealing with servers in the food industry: Don't fuck with the people who cook your food.

Sakura smiled and licked her lower teeth in a manner most irritated. Jessa giggled in response, her dark eyes flashing mercilessly. Cloe shot Jessa a glare and she hastened to apologize to Sakura. "I'm sorry, hon, I don't know what gets into her! I'm so sorry!"

"No worries, Mrs. Calliers. If she's a good little girl through dinner, I'll get her an ice cream. On the house. How's that sound, Jess?" Sakura squatted down to the deviant's level to make one final attempt at peace. When the little girl nodded, she smiled.

Sakura finished passing out plates, and even opened the straws for the children. Jessa smiled a big smile and took a hearty swig of her chocolate milkshake. Her round cheeks lifted as she smiled around the straw,and Sakura paused to smile and pat the girl on the head. Sakura picked up her tray and stand, waiting patiently as another server tried to tip-toe past. Jessa made a big show of fumbling with the cup, making a 'valiant' attempt at catching it. Her shot seemed mislead, and ended up landing the milkshake right on Sakura's ass.

"Uh-oh. Sakura, did you have an accident?" giggled Jessa, covering her mouth with both hands. The forgotten cup smashed to the floor, breaking into hundreds of little pieces. Sakura, frozen in place by the severity of her anger, stared at the scattered, shattered pieces.

"Cloe? I can't do this right now... I'll- I'm just-" Sakura spun on heel and marched back to the bar, slamming down her tray and stand. "Tally- you're on table seventeen. I can't, and I won'-"

"Sakura, how can you give up on them like that? I'm sure it was just an accident! Y-" Sakura laughed and bit back a sob of desperation.

"Yes, Ash. This is an accident, huh?" Sakura spun around and pointed to her rear-end as one might showcase an item for sale. "That's a first class accident right there." Sakura lowered her eyes, realizing that people were being to stare.

She'd known them all her life; Raulen Point wasn't exactly a big town. In fact it was so small that there had never been anyone to move into the town since Sakura was six. That had been Naruto, and they'd hit it off right at the start. Sakura was the average small town girl: desperate wishing for all she was worth to get out of there and break the mold, but completely broke of any devices that might help her achieve that.

Sakura couldn't lose her cool in front of them; she'd never live it down. Her town was big on church, family, and faking kindness for the "Greater Good." Sakura believed in God as much as anyone in her town, she didn't feel the need for all of God's teachings and meanings to be lathered and layered throughout the various levels of life. Trying to live a perfect life by God's standards would mean... well, it would mean not living a life at all.

Not that she had ever or would ever or would ever share that idea with anyone in Cadence county. Averting her eyes, she rushed into behind the counter and into the worker's quarters of the restaurant.

She spent the rest of the night there. Sakura fell asleep on the couch in the lounge where all the waitresses came to relax between tables. She didn't remember even sitting down, but she assumed she must've.

It was late, a little bit past closing. Everyone was closing up. Sakura straightened her clothes and wandered out into the kitchen. It was empty, which was odd.

There was the loud echo of plates clattering to the floor, and a muffled squeal. Sakura jogged to the door, her heels forgotten beside the stove. She could never run in those things anyway.

* * *

NARUTO SIGHED, TAPPING his fingers on the steering wheel as he maneuvered his car down the exit ramp. He had twenty miles of back-roads until he got to the Piggly Wiggly.

He was back from his trip with his foster father, and was going to surprise Sakura with a night of "lovin'" after he picked her up from work. He and Sakura were already engaged to be married, but a little fun before the wedding never killed anybody.

Pulling into the parking lot, he smiled. He hadn't seen her in nearly a month, and he couldn't wait to kiss her. It was such an innocent thing that it surprised him. In high school he'd never been the one to get all romantic with a girl. He'd been an 'in and out' kinda guy- both literally and metaphorically. He glanced into the rear-view mirror as he fixed his hair. Who said a guy couldn't care about his hair?

* * *

HER VISION WAS blurring. She could feel the blood exiting her body through the two small holes near her shoulder. Not to mention all the other matching little pairs. Blood, blood, blood. Why did there have to be so much blood?

Her hair stuck to her forehead, the blood serving as a sickly adhesive. The tall, dark-haired one had bite her. His teeth had elongated, he's paused before biting to show her. His dark, dark eyes... they'd been as black as his hair, and just as cold and unfeeling as the floor of the freezer beneath her. She'd resisted, not caring if he tore through her skin. She didn't want to make it easy for him!

She'd only hurt herself more by aggravating him. He made multiple bites, but the one near her collar bone was bleeding the worst. He told her he could've bit the femoral arteries, near the apex of her thighs, but that he'd at least didn't feel right leaving her to look like a vampire's whore.

Turning her head, she stared out the door of the freezer. The door was open but it was still so cold... Would anyone help her? Did she even have enough time left? Her once blonde hair, now stained a deathly dark pink, was frozen in some places. A small smile came to her lips as she realized it _was _too late. It was a bit of a relief, you know, to not have to wonder if help would come. To know that it wouldn't, and silently resign yourself from the worries was a major relief that she didn't expect.

Her blood was freezing to the floor. She could see it getting slightly cloudy as it froze over and congealed. It looked odd. The blood on her skin looked and felt especially odd. It no longer felt warm at all, but cold and icy. She moved her fingers slightly, the blood that coated them cracking as it was forced to move.

There was a sound at the door, and a body appeared in the frame of it. She could hear the wild intake of breath and wondered absently who it was. It was... her friend. Her _alive _friend. Why wasn't she dead, too? Did she have-

"Oh my god... Ino, what happened to you!?" breathed Sakura, her own pink hair hanging down into her face. All thoughts of betrayal left her mind, and she smiled up at Sakura.

"We match..." Ino breathlessly mused. Sakura couldn't stop the tears that came. Even Ino knew she was too far gone to have a chance.

* * *

NARUTO PULLED THE door wide as he strolled into Sakura's place of work, immediately noting the strange smell. It was thick and smooth, with a salty smell that he could taste. The taste it left behind was most peculiar. He scraped his tongue against his teeth in an effort to rid himself of the taste, but it didn't go away.

"Yo, Sakura!" Naruto glanced around, looking for her. He peaked around the corner of the bar, ignoring the spilled ketchup on the floor. The place had really gone down hill since he left.

"Geesh, guys. Can I get some decent service or what?" He joked loudly, expecting a swear of response from one of the waitresses. The lack of response made him feel a bit nervous. Where the hell was everybody? He was half expecting that they knew he was coming back and were either messing with him or getting ready to jump and surprise him with a welcome home party. "You guys still here?"

Naruto crept to the back of the restaurant, almost scared that no one was there. He didn't know why he was so nervous; he'd been here by himself plenty of times after hours all by himself. The feeling wasn't right, though... Something was definitely off.

Walking behind the bar and stepping into the off-limits-to-public part of the restaurant. He was in direct view of _everything. _And boy was it _something. _That everything was every_where. _

The inside of the freezer was practically covered in blood. He barely recognized the girl laying there in the pool of blood. It looked like someone that he knew, but he wasn't even sure anymore.

"Sakura?!" Naruto tiptoed out of the freezer, trying not to step in the blood. He'd always been squeemish about blood, which made this moment very awkward for him.

There was a slight chinking sound behind him, and he whirled around, prepped and ready for fight. He nearly socked the person, because he didn't know who it was at first. However, when he saw it was Sakura the anger died instantly. He yanked her into a crushing hug that she didn't reciprocate.

"Sakura, what the fuck happened?" moaned Naruto, rocking the both of them back and forth. Sakura mumbled something into his chest, and he pulled away. "What?"

"I... I don't know..." Sakura's eyes were glazed over and she looked half-asleep.

"Wha- how the hell do you _not _know?!" shouted Naruto, splaying his hands wide. "I mean, it doesn't take a _genius _to figure out what's happened! I- woah, Sakura, are you okay?"

She shrugged, and tried to sit down on the floor, but Naruto stopped her. "Jesus, girl, do you _want _to get her blood all of over you? Come on, let's go get Sasha, she'll know wh-"

"Sasha is dead." Sakura looked him in the eyes with that souless expression, and Naruto felt his soul quiver.

"Wh-what do you mean she's dead?"

"What do you think I meant, Naruto? She's _dead. _They're _all _dead. Every. Last. One..." Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head as if trying to rid herself of a bad memory. She pulled her arms free of his grip and wandered away from him. "It doesn't... make... any sense. Who would do this, I mean, I know we don't have _great _service, but... people wouldn't kill us for that, would they?"

"I dunno. We have some crazy-ass people out here, but I kinda doubt they'd kill everybody. No offense, Sakura, but why are you still..." Naruto trailed off hoping she'd get the idea.

"What?" asked Sakura, unsure of what he meant.

"Well, you know! Not, ... Dead." Naruto bit his lip and frowned when her eyes flashed angrily.

"Oh, what? _Dead?_ Thanks, Naruto, thanks a lot. It's nice to know my fiance thinks I'm a fucking murd-"

"I never said that!" Naruto intervened, grabbing her into a hug before she could stomp off.

He thought she was mad at him. He'd never know that on this day, she was truly doubting the fact that it wasn't her. She'd been asleep, and when she woke up, they were all dead. And yet, miraculously, _she _was alive. It didn't make one lick of sense.

* * *

"WELL, WHAT SHOULD we do?" murmured a deep voice. Long, mahogany tresses hung over his face, falling into his eyes. Pulling his hair back into a low ponytail, he glanced over to his clan-member as he waited for a response.

"I say we kill them both. Witnesses equate to talking, which would equate to discovery. And we can't have that, now can we?" smirked his cohort. Neji eyed the dark orbs of his partner, taking in the dark humour. Noting the sly turn of the flesh colored lips, he smirked in return.

"No, we cannot." Neji licked his lips as they stared at their prey. He glanced over again, grinning a full-on grin. His fangs exposed he chortled, "Well, this should be fun."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL do you want _me _to do, Naruto? I can't magically bring them back!" stressed Sakura. "We can't call the police yet- if we do... I mean... They'll think I did it, because if _you _did..."

"Sakura, I _don't _think you did it! But, I gotta be honest... the odds are kinda stacked against you here. I can try to help, but I can only do so much..."

"Gah! Mother was right! I should'a paid more attention in school! This is bullshit! I can't believe this happened! I should be mourning, not plotting out how to friggin' hide it!" Sakura raked a hand through her cotton-candy-colored locks and frowned.

"What if we just left? I mean, if we weren't here, then... they can't hold us accountable, can they? We've done nothing wrong!"

Sakura sighed, observing the earnest look on Naruto's face. He actually had a good idea for once... She nodded, and tried to hold back the bounty of tears that attempted to surge forward. "I guess that's all we _can_ do. I mean, I was with Ino when she... well, _died._ She didn't yell at me, so it couldn't of been me... And I- well, let's go. We've wasted enough time. We're going to go to your place, alright? I don't know if I can-" Sakura broke off, thinking of the apartment that her and Ino had shared. She couldn't go back there, not now, not ever.

* * *

THEY BOTH WATCHED as the pair exited the building, their eyes reflecting what little light there was that night. The venom flowing through the passages in their fangs seemed to be overflowing by now. They'd just eaten, but where they came from meals didn't come every week. And when one found a meal, one enjoyed it. Gluttony might have been sin, but they were already dead, so what did it matter?

Itachi lowered his eyes to the feet of the girl, a smile worming its way across his features. That was the blood of the blonde one, he could smell it. The smell of it brought the taste of it back to mind, and his salivations increased. Why did blood have to taste so damned good?!

Neji elbowed his comrade, trying to keep him at bay until the moment was right. They'd never outrun them, but he wasn't in the mood for a game of cat and mouse. He wanted them, and he wanted them now.

As they stepped under one of the spotlights, the blonde boy held a hand up over his eyes to hide his sensitive eyes. Itachi snickered under his breath, finding that side-note highly ironic. He bared his fangs, letting himself come out of hiding. Sakura visibly flinched back when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you like our work?" Itachi chuckled as they both jumped, wrapping their arms around themselves. The outlines of two tall, willowy men moved a step closer to their skittish targets. They both laughed outright as they scrambled backward. "Oh, come now. Why make this harder than it has to be? You want to go out fighting? If you're going to die anyway, why make it more painful?"

Naruto closed his eyes and took a few short breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Itachi rolled his eyes with impatience and then leaped forward. Naruto shrieked and moved to cover his face. Sakura was frozen in place by her own fear, only her facial features contorting to show the emotion. Naruto cried out as Itachi fangs gently grazed his flesh. Yelping as the taller man nipped, he flinched and quivered with fearful apprehension.

"Why are you- _what _are you?" squeaked Naruto, his eyelids fluttering as Itachi licked the skin.

"You don't get it by now?" chuckled Neji, his long fingers wrapping around Sakura's arms. He turned to look at Naruto. "We're vampires. We _are _because we _can._" Neji retracted his fangs and popped them out again, finding a sick sort of humour in their recoil.

"Didn't I tell you not to play with your food, Neji?" Itachi questioned playfully before sinking his fangs into Naruto's flesh. Sakura screamed and made a motion to grab at Naruto, but Neji held her back.

"Please! Let him go! You can take me, but just don't hurt _him! _He's not even supposed to be here! It's not his fault!" Sakura's breath became shorter and more unsteady as Itachi continued to suck. Itachi pulled away a few seconds later, and he licked his lips.

"I've considered it. I think we _shall _leave him. Let me fix things up here. Go with Neji." Itachi growled when she didn't move.

"I'm not leaving until I know he's safe!" protested Sakura, trying to stamp her foot. Neji's eyes bored into hers and she found herself unable to move, or even breath out of rhythm.

"Thank you, Neji." smiled Itachi. The tone was so cordial and pleasant that it made Sakura want to throw up.

Neji carted the girl away, her still imobile body tucked carefully under his strong arms. Sakura tried to call out to Naruto, to tell him that she'd be fine, but her body wouldn't listen. However, even as her body betrayed her, Naruto shouted out to her that _he'd _be all right. Which, of course, was more than the opposite of the truth. He wouldn't survive this, not by a long shot.

The question was: Would she? Had she just wasted her only chance at life, for a person who was going to be denied life already?

**Author's Note: Yes, I'm more than aware that the first chapter of this story is timid and strained at best. :P But bear with me. :P This chapter is the hardest to write, because I don't want to give too much away, but I want to be able to get on to the next chapters. :P Forgive me! **

**You don't get to know the pairings yet. :) YET. :D But if you look at things close enough, you'll find out. :) **

**Now, let's see who gets this right! :D Do you think she'll make it? Do you think Naruto will make it? Do you think someone else will come along and save her? Or will her fiance do it? **

**Let me know what cha think! :D **

**Lauren/Mellokai**

**Be warned. Kai is back. :P But not for a WHILE.**


	2. Change is Good, Right?

It was silent in the car as they road along, the darkness of the night like a peaceful blanket. However, their minds were not so peaceful. They were angry, in fact so angry that they were liable to rip their brother's head off when they found him.

"I still don't think he's done anything, I mean-" Started Temari, only to be cut-off by Gaara.

"It doesn't _matter_ what you _think_, Temari. I can smell the blood. It's _everywhere. _He's made a mess this time, and I'm sick of cleaning up after him." Gaara steered with one hand, rubbing his temples with the other. His long fingers stretched across his forehead to try to massage the headache away. Vampire's plagued with headaches from stress often have them all the time- meaning the only time it didn't bother him was when he was resting.

Temari rolled her eyes, and looked away from him. The scenery rolled by, and she watched it go through the windows of the new model. It was a new car. Kankuro had ruined the last one, having spilled blood all across the upholstery when he was eating. Temari smiled slightly at the thought.

Gaara rolled the window down to take another whiff of the air. He felt the venom in his veins stir at the smell of blood, and he new his sister could feel it as well. Blood- no matter how old a vampire is- was _always_ going to excite them. Temari had wanted to be a doctor, but could never make it into the profession at a real hospital because hospitals seemed to a have an inordinately large amount of blood exposed to the air.

They followed the smell for a long time, finally coming to a rest at a small diner. The stench of slightly stale but still fresh blood was so heavy in the air Temari thought she'd lose it. That was quite a thing to happen to a nearly one hundred year old vampire.

"Man, it's been a while since there was _this _much blood..." Mused Temari, pressing her sleeve over her nose. It made her want to... she didn't even entertain the idea, for thinking about it would lead her to looking for ways to justify what she knew she wanted to do, but wouldn't allow herself to think a possibility.

"Why are you still breathing then? You don't have to-" Started Gaara with great exasperation.

"I like the smell, okay? I just don't want to lose it... God, Gaara, I really don't think he did this." Temari removed her hand, ceasing breathing as she did so. Breathing was so usual to them in life that it was hard to give up after death. Sometimes she forgot she didn't have to. The only reason breathing was even slightly necessary was that it was required for speech- it activated the vocal cords.

Stepping over a large patch of blood, she froze. Gaara, already have heard the sound as well, was moving around in silence.

Ba-thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Ba-thump. "One of them is still alive. We'll be able to get some answers." Mused Gaara, a small smile coming to his lips.

"Gaara, that heart beat is barely there! They're not going to be able to-"

"We'll have to see them before make any rash decisions, Temari," growled Gaara. He glared at her with such intensity that she immediately felt guilty for second-guessing him. "Besides. All we need to know is right here..."

"Alright..." Temari set herself on finding the owner of the beating heart. The sound of people's hearts beating could be deafening when there were too many in one small room. That was another reason being out in the public drove them nearly crazy. The sound never stopped, never faltered. It was enough to drive even the most rhythmic person senile.

Gaara found him first, as she had hoped he wouldn't. She'd wanted to find him first in an attempt to redeem herself somewhat in his eyes. She was right about him not being able to talk though.

Gaara tried to get the answer out of him, but Temari refused to let him badger the dying boy. "Look, if he _did _do this, he's going to be in trouble with council. Now hurry up and do what you need to do so we can get the answers!"

Gaara angrily snatched Temari by the shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. "Don't. Talk. To. Me. Not like this, in front of this human! He's not going to se-"

"Gaara, what does saving one life mean if it'll save Kankuro? He's going to die anyway! If we want to find Kankuro, what does it matter?" Retorted Temari, trying to stand her ground. He might be an older vampire than her, but she was older than he was period. "Just because _you're _clan leader doesn't mean you automatically have rule over my emotions!"

"Shut up." Gaara hissed, squatting down to look at the boy. The blue eyes that stared up at him were clouding and docile, and the boy seemed calm enough. That could've been the shock he was going through. "He might need more than simple venom can offer. I might have to do the whole thing..."

"Then do it. I'll help you take care of him afterward, and so will Kankuro. He owes us anyway." Temari bit her lip nervously as Gaara extended his fangs. The young man laying on the ground jolted into action and tried to scramble away.

"Hold him still," Sighed Gaara, his eyes closing a moment. He opened them again, blinking in the dark lighting. As the venom flowed into his teeth, he sighed again, then tore into the flesh at his wrist.

It was a place with good flow, and also the most easily accessible to the boy. He'd learned through that years that creating another vampire was a delicate process, but it was more painful than painstaking.

He held the wrist over the boy's mouth, and let the black substance drain off his arm and into the mouth. It was a slow process, but it didn't take too long. The venom was cool on the boys tongue, as Gaara knew it would be. Though he struggled, the liquid crawled down his throat. The venom itself was doing the movement. Venom wasn't like blood- venom moves itself with its own unique pulse. Gaara had a deep, relaxed pulse, but this venom, once separated from his body took on the universal pulse that all free-agent venom had. It was hungry, and seeking a vein.

The boy cried out as the venom seeped through the tissue of his throat, finding purchase of its new home. More and more venom drained into his body, and he fought it for all he was worth. But it stuck fast, and seeped and spread some more.

Gaara and Temari could now see every vein in the poor young man's body. He was roughly their age, when they'd been alive. It seemed almost sad to Temari that her brother didn't appear to be affected by the changing of the human, but rather annoyed instead.

The blue outlines of the vein pressed against his skin as he twitched and bucked, trying to fight off the unwanted intruder. It seered into his veins, and his heart began to beat faster than he'd previously thought possibly. And then all of sudden- it stopped. His eyes bugged out of his head and he let out a strangled, gargling sound before flopping back to the ground.

"Did he kill all these people?" Gaara held up a picture, and the boy struggled to look at it. "If you don't answer me I'll make the pain worse." Threats of increasing already present pain usually helped worm information out of people and vampires alike.

"No! There were... _two! _One _had _dark _hair, _and lines _on _his _face! Other_ - _long- hair." _Naruto went limp, and Gaara sighed with both relief and impatience.

"Alright. Put him in the car. I'm gonna look around real quick." Gaara murmured. He was gone before she could even blink. Temari hated it when he used his vampire speed in the middle of a conversation, or without warning her. They tried to be as human as possible when out in public, and he always took pride in startling her.

Temari hefted the limp body up over her shoulder, and easily carried him back to the car as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. She threw him into the backseat without another thought, and then plopped herself in the passenger.

When Gaara got back in the car, she was filing her nails. "You know, this went b-"

"Goddammit Temari!" Roared Gaara, slapping the file out of her hands.

"What, I was ju-"

"We _just _bought a new car! You ruined the seats again! Jesus Christ! Can't you do anything right?" Gaara snarled deep in his throat and fisted his hands in her hair. Temari looked at the body in the seat and them back to him a few times before giggling.

Gaara shot her an incredulous look and then glanced at the way the body was positioned on the seat. "He fell kinda funny, didn't he?"

This wasn't what Temari had been giggling about, but it made her laugh even harder nonetheless. Vampires _do _have a sense of humor, it's just a lot different than the general human terms of funny. Not to mention a whole lot darker.

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes as the needle slipped beneath her skin. She winced at the slight sloshing sound her blood made as it began to filter through the needle into the bag. The deep red of her blood made her feel a bit light-headed. She'd probably have to get used to seeing her blood, but she didn't know if she ever would. She didn't even know if they'd let her live long enough to get used to it.

"Thanks for not using your fangs," She mumbled, "It makes this a bit less... Weird." She glanced up at him, looking for some sort of reaction.

"No problem." Said Neji sharply, his tones clipped and formal. Neji did not look at her as he checked her blood pressure and other vitals.

"So... Did you always want to be a doctor?" Sakura was trying to make light of the situation, and get to know them a bit. If she was staying with them, she might as well learn what they were like. Maybe if they liked _her, _they'd be less inclined to kill her off once they'd finished with her.

"No." Neji shined a small pocket flashlight into her eyes, his own dark orbs narrowed in concentration. Sakura frowned before resuming her interrogation. Neji, sensing this, steeled himself for the inevitable. No one ever believed him when he answered this question. Most people usually took the hint that he didn't want to talk, though.

"OKay, so what _did _you want to be?"

"Farmer," Scowled Neji. He didn't have to tell her, but he was honestly looking for a reason not to like her so much. Sakura stifled the laugh the threatened as she tried to meet his eyes.

"Why a farmer? There's _so _many other prof- oh,... wait. When were you born, exactly?" Sakura had forgotten that he was a vampire and had been born in a different time. Perhaps when he was born, being a farmer was a normal thing.

"Nineteen-fourty-six." Neji paused to shoot her a look that told her not to press her luck. Sakura was a bit relieved that he was older, because it meant he was all the more normaler- at least emotionally.

"Woah! Cool beans! You're like... " Sakura's features glazed over as she spent a second calculating. "Sixty-three! You don't look a day over twenty! Man! If _I_ were a vampire... I'd never get old! But, I don't think I'd wanna suck people's blood. Kinda creepy if you ask me."

"I didn't." Grunted Neji, raising a brow as he stared at her. He found a bit unsettling that someone could speak so easily about the way he was nearly fourty years older than he looked. He hadn't been a vampire long, but he was terribly good at it. Sakura reddened and looked away. This wasn't going as planned, and she didn't know if she should continue on with it. She was probably wasting her time anyway.

As it turns out, Neji wasn't ignoring her, but wasn't used to dealing with someone so open to vampires. Sakura, who was actually _not _open with vampires, was merely in such a state of shock that she was in denial mode. She was pretending it was all a dream. It worked for now, but they didn't know what to expect when it wore off. Would she be even mellower, or would she be a high-strung, hard-to-handle mess?

* * *

The pain rippling through his body was worse than he'd ever thought possible. He wanted so badly to cry and scream- even for his momma if that would take away the pain. The pain he'd been feeling for the past few hours snuffed out all chances of time perception. It seemed to him that time was running in circles around him, mocking his ineptitude.

He couldn't move a muscle. Literally. He couldn't even shift the muscle itself to relieve the searing cramps, or shift his body so that his neck didn't feel like it was about to break in two. He could dimly hear the fuzz of a radio, or was it conversation?

The back of his eyelids weren't even black, but a blindingly bright, blood red. Naruto tried to open his eyes, and escape the red again and again. Yet, each time he found he couldn't move even that much. He'd failed himself.

Gradually, after a few hours- which seemed like days- he began to feel his muscles loosen. He still couldn't move, but the cramping he'd been experiencing in his muscles was beginning to subside. He could open his eyes now, but he didn't like what he was seeing. He couldn't remember anything other than himself and the immense pain that was still painfully present.

Looking around him, he could see the cold confines of a freezer. He could not move his head to get a better look, but he could open his eyes wide enough to look around him a bit. He didn't understand why he was in a freezer, or even that it was a freezer. He was just there. In pain. Suffering.

All of this was happening to him, and he couldn't even tell where he was, why he was there- or even _who _he was. All that he could feel or think about was the present, and finding a way to relieve that burning feeling. Naruto was gone to the world, leaving behind the thoughtless, contorted body of a madman. He could hear demonic howls and screeches, but he couldn't place their origin. They were frightfully close, though.

He just hoped that whatever was putting the other being in such pain never found him.

* * *

Gaara covered his eyes with his hand as he massaged his temples once again. "Dammit. I forgot how much loud they are when you first turn them."

"Gaara, it'll be alright. Just go out to the lab and try to get soem sleep, 'kay? I'll try to make sure he's comfortable once he gets settled." Temari winced, realizing she'd said she'd try.

"No. You go ahead, I'll stay out here. God knows you'd screw it up anyway," Sighed Gaara, his face contorting into a sneer.

"Don't bring Him into this. He won't help u-"

"_He _doesn't even exist, Temari. If he did, we wouldn't be here. Or are we the devil's creatures? We were Christians our whole damn life, and we got bit, and suddenly it didn't matter what we believed anymore. If there were gods, they would've saved us from this! But, there aren't, so don't go trying to tell me that there are!" Gaara snarled, pushing past her as he stalked out of the room.

Temari looked around slowly, realizing she was the only one left. "Well, I guess that means _I'm _watching you, little guy." She whispered to the door. She placed her palm flat on the surface, as if maybe she was reaching out to him. Gaara watched from the doorway, his prescence so silent that she didn't even notice him.

He'd never figure out how she could be so compassionate to people she didn't even know, and completely rude to her own clan. he supposed it was because she knew _them. _He and Kankuro were so private that she didn't even know who they were anymore. Sure she knew their living stories, but after they became vampires... they weren't really a family anymore, save for the fact that they lived under the same roof.

She could read people's emotions better than he could hear things- it was uncanny. It was intrusive, not to mention the fact that what they were thinking and feeling was none of her business. He didn't see why she wouldn't just block it out; did she really _want _to know? It didn't make sense to him, and he didn't like it one bit.

* * *

As the sun begins to set, Gaara's eyes flare open. He dashes to the window, hissing when he yanks the curtains back. Stepping out of the light, he closes his eyes and lets his body heal. The pain subsides very quickly for him, seeing as healing is one of his specialties. All vampires have a healing defence, but his is stronger than others; it was strong enough to the extent that he could even heal others, or create new vampires. A small amount of his own venom- which, in one of it's forms, is actually a vampire's blood- will heal a human. However, in large amounts the human will be changed into a vampire.

A common misconception with the whole vampire creation theories is that a bite will simply do the trick. That is most definitely a lie created by vampires and fed to the media. When victim's were bitten in older times, people usually clung together in small, closely knit towns. Because life was so hard in those times, and people needed to cling together to barter and trade, attacking a single person was often hard. If the rumour was spread that a human would change into a vampire after being bitten, said bitten human would be separated from society, or even killed and buried somewhere. At a later date- usually a day later- the body would be exumed under the cover of the night by vampires. The blood would be drained and the body returned to its original grave.

Vampires did not like dirty blood, but it was a way of survival. Nowadays, hunting was much easier. The Sabakus, however, tried to keep their eating to a minimum. When they were raised- yes, they had the priveledge of being raised by a vampire- they were taught to drink their blood sparingly. They would often kidnap their prey from places that suggested they would not be missed. Gaara's favorite place to take them were the jailyards. Temari and Kankuro tried eating from there every once in a while, but they never really liked the taste of worn-out druggies. It was an aquired taste, Gaara knew that, but he liked to think that even though he was a monster he could do society a favor. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that.

Temari stands in the doorway, watching him stare at the curtains. He knows that she is there because he can sense her, but he says nothing of it.

"You're leaving?" Temari's eyes blink closed as he nods. He can hear the slight sound of them opening again, and the rush of the air as he moves his head. "I'm coming with you! I'm-"

"No. Stay with the newborn. I'll not be held responsible for ruining mother's home." Gaara adjusts the cuff of the right sleeve on his button-down shirt.

"Gaara, it's not her house anymore. It's _ours._" Temari grumbles under her breath. She had momentarily forgotten that he could hear these things. She grumbled under her breath nearly all the time, and he never said anything. It wasn't his place to. This, however, was a different story.

"It's _hers._ We're just _living _in it. _If _you could call what we do _living._" With a sardonic snort of amusement at the irony of his words, he straighten his collar. Temari saw his eyes narrow as she opened her mouth to retort, and then growled with frustration when the blur that was her brother shot out the door. The sun hadn't even completely set!

"You'd rather risk your life than talk to me!? Bastard!" She kicked the door, grimacing when it flew off its hinges. Yet another thing on her list of things to door before the 'beast' got back.

* * *

Sakura sighs heavily, leaning back on the pluish bed as she thinks. She wonders why they're staing at a hotel and why they've got her chained to the bed. Only by one arm, of course, nothing kinky. She shivers at the thought of sleeping with a vampire. Who'd do such a thing? If you're already a vampire, that's one thing... but letting a dead guy do those kind of things? Just the thought of it made her cringe.

After a while, something inside her head clicked. Of course! They couldn't get up during the day, because of obvious reasons. There were some other reasons that she didn't know, though. She'd asked to go to the bathroom earlier that day, but couldn't for her 'leash' was too short. Itachi had ordered Neji let her up, and he'd had to oblige for some reason. She'd gone to the bathroom, but when she came out his left ear had a trickle of blood running out of the canal and down onto the lobe.

She doesn't exactly understand it, but it seems to her that for vampires they were actually alright. Her experience with vampires was very limited- these were the first ones she'd ever meant, and she hoped them to be the last- but she'd had a way with these things. She could usually tell when people were good or bad, and she'd used to rely on it. She was getting mixed vibes from these guys, but generally the good ones were stronger. They couldn't be too bad if they let Naruto live, right?

Figuring this out relaxes her somewhat, and she settles into a more comfortable position on the bed. It's been nearly thirty-four hours since she last slept, and she is dire need of it. She kinda deserved it, too, after all the shit she'd been put through. Falling asleep after that was pretty damned easy. It was funny- she expected it to be a lot harder.

* * *

Kankuro licks his lips, and wipes the rest of his face off with his forearm. The body drops to the ground with dull thud, and Kankuro exhales slowly through his nose. For such a scrawny little guy, he'd had a lot of blood- tough skin, though. Usually vampires didn't like that, because it made access to the blood take a little longer. Kankuro didn't mind.

He scratches the back of his head before moving the body. He was feeling guilty about being gone so long; he'd been mad as hell at them when he left, and had had no intention of ever going back. Of course, he'd change his mind as he always did, but that didn't stop him from having his impulsive intentions. He kicked the body down into the hole with a self-loathing sigh and rubbed his cheeks with a bloody palm. He hated himself for not being able to leave, but there was nothing he could do about it. Related venom tends to stick together, and breaking that bond was impossible unless your creator released you. Kankuro gave a wry smile, because he knew that he'd never leave, and Gaara would never let him go even if he tried.

As he buried the body, Gaara watches. He'd been in such a frenxy to find him that he'd misplaced the thought that Kankuro _sometimes _did take his advice, and would go to prisons and such. Vampires never completely forget things, no, they just misplace the thought until they find it again. Kankuro senses him, and prepares for attack.

Gaara pounces from the tree, ready to punish his brother for betraying the trust once again. Leaving unannounced is never a good decision. Kankuro grunts with surprise as he realizes its Gaara who's just knocked him into the deep grave. Kankuro inhales deeply and tries to avoids the fists and other body parts flying at him. Gaara flings one of the dead man's arms at him and Kankuro freezes when it smacks him in the face. It makes a hollow THOCK! sound, and then tumbles dully to the bottom of the small pit. Kankuro pauses to chuckle, and even as Gaara smacks him around some more he cannot stop.

Gaara begins to beat him over the head with the arm, in his rage not seeing that Kankuro was giggling. By now, Kankuro is having a fit. His loud belly-laughs finally catch Gaara's attention, and he pauses.

"What... Why are you laughing?" Gaara asked, the severed arm still in hand. Kankuro looked up at him, starting to explain, but when he noticed the hand he burst into laughter again. Gaara rolls his eyes and smacks his brother in the face with it a few more times, not caring if it he giggled himself into a conniption.

"But- the arm! And, hahahahaha! The _sound!" _Kankuro cupped a hand over his mouth to try to stop his laughing, and Gaara flung the arm at him in disgust.

"Idiot. I tore the arm off for a reason! Let it look like it was mauled, and you save yourself a bit of time and effort." Gaara easily lifted himself out of the hole. After a moment's thought, he extended a hand down to his brother. His brother, as any other vampire, didn't need help getting out of a hole like that. It was the gesture that counted, and Kankuro knew that, so he accepted the hand.

As they walked back to the car, they discussed a few things, though Gaara strictly forbade himself from telling Kankuro about the newborn. He didn't want to be the one to break the news, and it didn't feel right. He and his brother rarely had a good moment together; Even in all the years they'd been together, this was a rare occurance.

* * *

"What the fuck were you doing while I was gone?" Kankuro took a step back from the mysterious man crouching in the corner of the room, and took a moment to twist slowly back to see their reactions. The man on the floor crept closer to him, pawing at his clothing. Kankuro looked back to him, raising a weary brow. He sighed when the boy's eyes widened and leaned closer. What the hell was with this guy?

"I mean, I wasn't gone that long! Now you're keeping this guy prisoner? I mean, that's no- Wait a second. His heart beat... Why doesn't he have a heartbeat?" Kankuro groaned aloud as he realized that the boy didn't have one because he was a vampire. "Jesus Christ, you guys! You fucking changed one?!"

The newborn leaped forward and tried to latch tear into him. He could smell the blood on Kankuro's breath, and wanted it for himself. Kankuro growled and blinked once or twice. The newborn shrieked and worked harder to get at him, but Kankuro merely growled in response. His eyes stayed open as he focused.

His harsh whisper was barely heard, but Temari inched the door open as he requested. Kankuro shifted suddenly, and Gaara and Temari vanished from the room. Kankuro followed, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the door, and ran a hand through his bloody hair. "Now. Does someone want to tell me what the _fuck_ is going on?"

"Well, um... Something happened down at the Piggly Wiggly, and... we kinda thought it was you." Admitted Temari, biting her lip. She could feel the anger welling up inside of her brother once she mentioned 'something happened' because he already knew what they were thinking. He voiced his concerns first.

"_What _happened? Is Mich okay?" Kankuro's brows were furrowed in concern, and Temari sighed.

"You _knew _him? Since when have you been talking to him?" Questioned Temari, her inquistive tone anything but rude.

"Since he's been giving blood. I agreed to mark some of the guys who didn't pay up." When Temari and Gaaras' facial expression read strongly with alarm, he hastened to continue. "Not _marked_," He snarled exasperatedly, "But, like, hunt down and stuff. The guys owed him money, I got them to pay."

"If Mich was giving you blood, why weren't you there tonight?" Pressed Gaara, folding his arms as he leaned against the door.

"He gets every other day off. He's doing me a favor, why should I get greedy? And besides, what's wrong with the guy? I thought you said-"

"He's dead, Kankuro." Gaara didn't know why, but he seemed to get a sick pleasure out of seeing the expressions on Kankuro's face change from irritated to shocked surprise.

"What? He- goddamit. There goes my plans for tomorrow..." Kankuro raked his hand through his hair again, and Temari rolled her eyes.

"Would you quit doing that, you're gonna go bald."

"Screw you." Kankuro shot her a dirty look, and then froze as if he remembered something. "Wait a second. You thought I did all that? Come on!"

"We never said you _did_, we just _thought _you did!" Snapped Temari. Gaara set his jaw as the two of them hashed it out. Kankuro said something particularly rude to her, and she grabbed a hold of his arm. As she started to crush it, she swung back her other arm in attempt to slap him. Gaara caught her hand with an exasperated sigh and push the two of the apart.

"You can argue, but you'll not be fighting in Mother's home. It's against her rules." Gaara turned and started to stalk back to his room. At human speed, it would have been more like an olympic sprinter, but in vampire speed it was just a brisk pace. Temari and Kankuro were still hissing in argument, but they were able to keep their voices low enough for him not to hear. Until Kankuro got a bit angrier.

"But I don't get why he has to be such a Momma's boy about the whole thing! She's been dead for over sixty years!" Gaara froze, one foot just barely reaching the ground. His head lowered, he smiled slightly. He'd been looking for an excuse to let off some steam all night, and this was the perfect opportunity. Besides- _nobody _talked about his momma and got away with it.

* * *

Sakura groaned and rolled over on the bed, trying to block out the sounds of people moving around. Sleep felt too damned good to let it go to waste.

The feel of a large hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her peaceful resistance. She turned quickly, expecting to see Naruto. She was shocked to see that it was Itachi His dark orbs bored into her own lighter ones, and she shivered before she could stop herself. He smiled, and motioned for her to get up. Sakura obliged, for what else was a girl in her position to do?

She was handed an ill fitting shirt, and a loose pair of pants. They smell of manliness, and she couldn't help but notice that they were Itachi's. He grinned when she unwittingly sniffed the shirt, making a pleased face at the smell.

Men smell good. At least, the goods one. That was something she'd used to say to her friends. If a guy didn't smell good, they never messed with him. Not that she'd ever mess with this guy. As... visually appealing as he might've been, he was still a vampire- and he was also the guy who'd kidnapped her, killed her friends, and was currently taking her blood so that he could drink it at a later time. _Not _appealing.

* * *

Gaara chuckled, scraping his teeth against his brother's ear. Kankuro squeal- as manly a man can squeal- and threw Gaara off of him. Gaara easily pinned his brother again, and took the larger man's earlobe between his teeth before hissing his command. "Take it back."

"No! You're a- fuck! Owww, owww, oww! Lemme go, you f-_ow!" _Kankuro gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the wailing of the newborn- it seemed to intensify his pain. He let out a low breath, and tried to wiggle out of Gaara's death grip, but it was for naught. Gaara bit through the skin and Kankuro howled. "Alright, alright! You're not a Momma's boy! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! Now let go!"

Gaara smiled, pulling away from his brother. "There. Was that so hard?"

Kankuro glared at his brother. "Yes! Now get the fuck off." Without waiting for a reply, Kankuro shoved his brother off of his chest. Gaara, being the agile, sly guy that he was easily flowed onto his feet. Much to the disappointment of Kankuro, Gaara didn't even stumble.

Temari snickered and leaned against the back of the couch. "Jesus, Kankuro. For a vampire you're such a baby." Kankuro shot her such a fowl look that she looked away for a moment.

"I'm not the only one, Little Miss Priss." In a flash Kankuro was behind her, twisting her arm behind her back. The newborn downstairs screamed, and Kankuro pulled a little bit tighter. Temari grunted in response, and leaned forward, trying to escape the pain. "I could dislocate this joint all night long, but I've got better things to do." Pushing his sister forward, he turned on heel and strode for the door.

"You just gonna runway again?" Whispered Gaara. The question was so soft and sincere, that even Temari looked up. Kankuro sighed and dropped his head.

"I'm not leaving. You always say I'm so predictable, but then you don't even know my intentions. It's a bit ridiculous really. Some '_family_' we are. You can't even say Dad's name without nearly demolishing the place." Kankuro let a disdainful snort of indignance, and turned took at them. "I'm not running away; I can't. But you can, and you do. You lock yourselves up in here, and don't go anywhere. You think I haven't got restraint? Go into the city, and stand in the middle of a subway platform for more than twenty seconds." Kankuro's eyes gained a faraway look, and he seemed to zone out a bit.

"Where are you going with this, Kankuro?" Whispered Temari, her eyes searching him for the emotions she couldn't read. She never could read her brothers' emotions, and that was a feat in itself.

"When you're standing there... You can hear all that life pulsing around you, and you _know _that you could take it. You _know _that you could kill each and every one of them, and use them however you want them; you could, but you don't. That's the beauty of it- it's _living_. I'm not alive, but it feels like I am! You hide in hear, and... you waste this... gift. Sometimes I wish you'd have just kept it to yourself. I can't share it with you, because you'd only laugh and call me naive. I'd rather spend my life running than staying here and hiding." Kankuro shook his head in defeat and closed the door behind him as he left.

Temari glanced over to Gaara, trying to read his expressions. "Since when has _he _been so deep?"

"Always." Shrugged Gaara, grabbing his jacket. A wry smile crept across his face as the newborn screamed and cried out again for the umpteenth time that hour.

"Where're you going?" Questioned Temari, her voice raising slightly.

The newborn screamed again, and Gaara chuckled. "I'm going to _live._" And with those mocking words, he departed. Temari smiled to herself, glad that Kankuro had finally gotten through to him somewhat. The newborn screamed again, and she instantly realized that she wasn't happy anymore. Why?

Because she was going to have to handle the newborn all by herself. That would be no easy task, and definitely not a fun one.

**Author's Note: So, was this more exciting than the last chapter? :D I hope so, and I trullly hope that you liked it. If it's confusing, I'm sorry. Ask questions, and I'll do my best to answer them, but please be aware- some of IS meant to be kept a mystery. :) But ask anyway. If you don't get to know yet , I'll tell you so. **

**Are my characters in character? Do they need more or less of something? **

**Vote! - Also, I dooo take suggestions, ya know. :) Within reason, lol. **

**A- More violence and vampireness. **

**B- Naruto begins to regain himself, and the search for Sakura will begin. **

**C- Meet more of the vampires. **

**D- All of the above.**

**VOTE MY READERS!!!!! :D **

**Lauren.**


	3. Came Home With us, Did Little Boy Blue

**I've reposted this like three times, because it has NOT been sending anyone notification, not even to myself. So, it might say this is chapter four for a while, but I'll fix it soon enough. :) No worries! :D And! to Twisted Musalih- I can't review either, because I'm not recieving note of that as well. :P So I'll reply here! **

**Twisted Musalih-I'm glad you liked it, lol, but you're review does not make this easier for me! **

EVERYONE: I'm kinda at a stand still with progression until I get more input. SO REVIEW PLEASE! :) 

Temari peeked inside of the small freezer room through the sliding plate on the back of the door. It covered the small window that had been installed in the door long before she was a vampire, for reasons that made her sick to her stomach.

The house had once been an insane asylum, but the owners had done vampire... 'business' on the side. For a large sum they would hold the vampire in the small freezer, and help them acclimate to their new life. The first two weeks were crucial in creating the vampire; during this time the body was being slowly consumed by the venom, and rapidly replaced with new skin and tissue. Rapid weight loss was often a side effect of this; the venom burned through unnecessary tissues and such, leaving behind a primed and ready hunting mechanism.

The floor was covered with the blood that had been hastily spilled as the packets were ripped open. The odd boy was covered in red as well, but he was systematically licking himself clean. Temari couldn't remember any of them being that desperate in a long time. After a meal, the excess blood was usually showered off.

He hadn't had a very violent transformation, which Temari found odd. Usually they thrashed about as they switched over, but not this one. He was completely still the whole time. By the time they'd put him in the room, his body had gone into full rigor. She wondered if he'd been so stiff because of the fact that he'd almost died, and his pulse was slow.

As she watched him, he rolled about as if making sweet, sweet love to his food. She shook her head in disgust and slid the window back shut. Newborns were such a disgrace to their race.

As she sat down on the couch, she heard a loud clang and then odd thump from the freezer. She made her way back to the freezer, and then laughed. The blonde was trying to make his way around, but kept bumping to the walls, and tripping over things everywhere he turned. Temari knew what _that _was like, but she didn't feel like helping the little bugger. He'd kept her up all day, and her ears had been bleeding like crazy. He deserved a little trouble.

* * *

The figure of an older man stands slightly slumped over a short cane as the eyes of the man look out over the cliff and at the scenery below. It is peaceful here, where the animals come to graze. There were no enemies here; the grazing fields were of peace and unity. That was what they stood for.

The old mans opens his mouth to speak, even though no one else seems to be standing near. "It's going to happen soon, I can feel it in my bones." He pats the horse beside him, and rubs its neck in soothing circles. "I don't know what it means yet, but I'll be damned if I don't find out..."

The older man stares out over the field as he thinks of his prophetic vision, and he frowns. "They've not yet been made, at least I don't think. But, they're tip-toeing closer. They're with bodies of our kind, but I cannot tell which kind of our kind they are with."

The cryptic speaking seemed to irritate the horse, but the older gentlemen paid close attention to rubbing the soothing circles and soon the horse quieted. "I don't fully understand. No one has, not even those who began this pursuit... We must prepare, and fight it, but I don't know how or when to put this into much... Too much to do, such _little_ time."

He stares out into the field again as he thinks and tries to recall the dream, but is disturbed by another voice. "Well, Sarutobi, what are we going to do about it, then?"

"When I find out, I'll tell you. But in the meantime, I need you to get him."

"_Him?_" The horse next to him shivers and slowly melts away to give form to another man. "Why _him? _That asshole wouldn't know his face from his ass i-"

"Silence, Mercutio! Do not speak ill of that which has saved thy life! You owe us this much, young one. Go and make call of him. Take this note; I do not trust the phones." Sarutobi withdraws a hand from his long, flowing sleeves, and then presses the small scroll into the hands of the fair-haired boy that now stood next to him. Mercutio nods submissively and bows his head. Placing the scroll into his hip pocket, he sighs; the scroll is safe. Before shifting again he salutes the older man, and then his body ripples and his clothing melds to his skin.

Once more the horse, he stands a moment as he puts off his leave. Sarutobi slaps him on the rump, laughing as the procrastinator flies off down the dusty path. With a deep chuckles the older man turns back to his fields. But the chuckles fade and leave way to the heavy sigh that ripples through him. It is worrisome, this duty he has taken aboard. But he must shoulder it, for it was his decision to bare, and he cannot go back on his word to protect the pact.

* * *

"Sakura, you need to stay silent, and keep your pulse as even as you can." Whispered Itachi, his grip on the back of her neck almost painfully tight. "If you make more than the _slightest_ sound, they will _kill _you. Got it?"

Sakura nodded, the color fading from her cheeks. Neji rolled his eyes and kept the fact that most vampires in these parts wouldn't mess with them to himself. If he undermined Itachi's authority... let's just say that _that_ would be worse than having to deal with any other vampires. Itachi didn't like being challenged unnecessarily.

That night as they traveled, Sakura cursed her heart for its ceaseless beating. But, she also cursed her mind. By now, she was sure that she was either in a very deep sleep, or that she was in a coma from some horrible accident, and this parallel reality was the result of it. Those thoughts were somewhat quashed when Itachi gripped her arms hard enough to fracture the bones for humming idly.

She is not lectured upon this, for the scare of the other vampires chasing them was enough to keep her from making a sound ever again. The speeds at which they were running... It proved otherwise to _any_ of the doubts that she'd been having. They were definitely vampires, and there was nothing she could do about it. The thought of it frightened her, so she tried not to think about it. The last thing she needed was her heart giving her away.

* * *

"Gaara, what are you doing?" Questioned Temari, folding her arms over her chest. It wasn't an intimidating posture, but an inquisitive one. She lowered her brows though, when he started to unlock the door to the freezer. "What-"

"Hunting." Spat Gaara, already growing weary of her persistent questioning. She never seemed to stop asking him questions. Could she not just let him do as he pleased without there having to be a reason?

He unlatched the door, and stepped inside in his bare feet. He didn't wish to get his shoes dirty, and this would also give him a better connection to the boy. Temari never understood his logic, and sometimes he just wished that she would go away for a while so that he could think without her having to know every single thought.

Shutting the door behind him, he sighed heavily and leaned against it for a moment before moving closer to the bloody being in the corner. Crouched over a packet of empty blood, the boy looked up at him with nervous, blue eyes. Gaara stared a moment, catching the boys line of sight and locking it down. Gaara raises a finger to his lips, and the boys ragged panting ceases.

"I am your creator. You will do as I say, understood?" The boy nods, mystified. "If I say jump, you jump. If I say stop, you'd better damned-well stop. We're going outside, and you're going to get something to eat." At this, the boy begins to pant, and he scuffles in uncomfortable excitement on the floor. "Get up off the floor, you're no animal."

The boy stands, but remains hunched over in a defensive position. His bloody hair no longer looks gold, but more of an auburn colour because of the blood that has dried there. "Okay. Temari! Get in here."

Gaara folds his arms as he waits for her to enter, further irritated by her failure to comply when she _knew _what he wanted. Couldn't she do _anything _right? He closes his eyes, blinking away his rage. He feels the door open before he sees it, but it makes no difference to him anymore. "Clothes. I'll be back when he's ready. Have him... decent."

Temari is staring after him in angered shock, but he doesn't mind. In fact, he revels in the emotions he's pulling out of her. It's not often that he gets her so riled up, or even has the time to, and he's taking for all he's worth.

* * *

"Dammit, slow down!" Gaara plunged twenty feet down the edge of a cliff and chased after the newborn. The sharp edges of rock and pebbles slid beneath his feet as he easily slid down the hill as if on a snowboard.

He catches up quite easily; the blonde is stumbling about, still unaccustomed to his new body. Gaara grabs a hold of him, fisting his hand in the boy's hair before yanking him back and throwing him to the ground. He punches him a few times for good measure, and to relieve some of his aggression. Gaara holds him still while he whispers in his ear. He whispers of his threats, one of which ran along the lines of ripping the boy apart, and leaving the pieces so that they could crawl back together and reconnect. After that he would rip the boy apart another, oh say... five times before taking him back to the house. Suffice to say, the boy listens.

Or tries to anyway. He is honestly _not _ready to be hunting, and Gaara is doing more damage than good right now. His vision keeps swirling in and out of focus as he zooms in and out, and his body is tingling with the need for blood. So much in fact that there are odd tremors rippling through his body, some of which lead into spasms that force him to freeze. They lock up his muscles and he plummets from wherever he's positioned.

Gaara soon grows weary of this, and takes a hold of the boy by his earlobe. He derives great pleasure from the howls of pain that erupt when he squeezes and jerks the boy along. Leading the boy to a range where he is close enough to smell one specific victim, they attack. Before, he'd been smelling every person within the twenty mile radius, and his sensitive nose had been driving him up the 'wall'. Trees, really. He'd been trying to hard to smell, when he should've just let it come to him.

They kill the man, who turns out to be a hiker, from the clothes that he is wearing, and the things that he takes with him. Gaara nearly kills himself trying to keep the blonde from eating him as he drags him to the lake. Gaara knows it will be easier to stage this way, but he realizes that he should've dragged the man there in the first place, before spilling his blood. The newborn has never smelled fresh blood before, and is going ape-shit.

Gaara drinks first, keeping the boy back with the sand of the river's slight banks. He hates having to use it, because it mars the sand that he loved so much. Now it is bloody. He's not really sure, but, he thinks might like it. It gives him an odd rush to feel the blood of his kill in the sand which he controls.

The newborn watches, after eating of course, as Gaara prepares the body to be left. It is a skill-full process which some vampires do not bother with, but when people live in such a small town as this, you need to be careful. The boy is mystified at what Gaara does, and for once is silent.

However, once they dispose of the body he is back to his old antics. Gaara, greatly annoyed once more, grabs him again by the earlobe and drags him back to house. Without any more than a quick growl of "You're turn," he departs. Temari and Kankuro are there to watch him, but they aren't looking forward to it.

Gaara doesn't care; he's watched the boy for the better part of the night, and cannot stand to be around him anymore. Why should it affect him? He was _not _the one who wanted to create the newborn!

He goes off to the one place that he know no one will find him, and thinks for a while. They'd been living peacefully, save for the 'family' arguments, until this cretin showed up.

* * *

Sakura winces as Itachi's fists and feet shower over her body in a torrent of punches and spiteful kicks.

She doesn't regret her decision to try and escape, but wishes that she had not done it so abruptly and without plan. Neji knew the frailty of humans, and tries to stop his cohort from killing their charge.

"Itachi! Please, she's just a girl! She can't take your battery as I or another could!" Neji then steps forward to try and pull Itachi away, but Itachi is older, and simply backhands him away. Neji does not have to follow Itachi's orders, but if his clan leader heard about his disobedience...

"Leave us! She has broken a rule, and must be reprimanded." Itachi didn't look like he wanted to teach, he looked as if he just wanted to inflict bodily harm, which Neji could suspect was true. He was mad that he'd almost lost her, not that she'd tried to escape.

Itachi kicked her a few more times while Neji backed away and squatted. Neji held his head in his hands as he waited, his hair falling over his face to hide what he was thinking. Sakura absently wondered if he'd learned to do that on purpose, because he seemed to do it a lot. The pain was so strong that she was resolving to just hide from it, and pretend it was there. She thought about a lot of things, her friends and family being one of them, but with Naruto beign the main thought in her head. She couldn't wait to see him again, after all this was over. But, in truth she wasn't sure if it ever would be over.

Itachi falters, and then sighs. Sakura looks up, her right eye swollen and puffed shut. "I've grown bored. Neji, you've ruined my fun. Fix this... _thing."_

Without another word or further action on the matter, Itachi strides out of their little camp. The camp itself is stationed under the overhanging slabs of rocks that protect them from the hideous onslaught of rain pouring down.

Neji sighs and pulls himself to his feet. Moving closer to Sakura, he gently kneels beside and helps her up. Sakura is bewildered by his suddenly kind actions, but goes along with it; to do anything else would result in too much pain. Her mind is spinning now, all thoughts revolving around the pain and the question of_ why _this man was helping her, when only hours ago he was telling her what a hassle she was. She was definitely a hassle now; she could barely walk on her own.

"You really shouldn't'a done that..." Neji whispered, a wry smile twisting his mouth. It looked foreign and unfamiliar on such a stoic face that Sakura grimaced.

"No shit, _Sherlock._" Her voice cracked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't talk, not yet..." Neji advised. Sakura liked him; he suggested instead of demanding. He was a better person to converse with than Itachi. Sakura resolved then and there that she and Neji would be friends, and that she would simply steer clear of Itachi. "As bad as it hurts, you're gonna be okay. Nothing is broken."

"How do you know so much about helping people, you know, being the human killer that you are?" Sakura whispered, her voice still quite empty of emotion.

"The killing is what helps." Neji chuckled at her reaction, and grinned. "Hey, you take apart enough bodies, and you'll learn what goes on in there." Neji pointed to her shoulder as a general indication to a human body.

"Oh... I gotta admit, that's pretty damned disgusting, Neji." Sakura winced slightly when the amused look fell from his face. She smiled in attempt to convey that she meant it in light-heartedness. "I mean that... Well, look, Neji; I'm not used to this whole death thing! I grew up like a _normal _person. Excuse me if suddenly being surrounded by death and guts sends me into fits of shock. Sure I wanted to be some big-shot city girl, but I never left this podunk, dinky little town. I mean- oh, gosh, I'm rambling. Sorry!"

Neji's mouth turned up once more, and he rose a brow at the pooling of blood in her pale cheeks. He frowned though, because already the bruises were forming on her fragile skin. "I could be eating right now... But, I think I can stand to bear it, even though you're leaking blood everywhere..."

Sakura reddens further, and then starts with realization. "Does... can you smell a blush?"

Neji laughs outright at this outrageous statement, and then reduces himself to chuckles. "No, you can't. You can feel it, and hear it, but you can't smell it. The blood is contained within the skin, so it's not a smell_. But_, you humans do have a unique smell. You're kinda hard to hide from other vampires, but we'll manage."

"Aha. So... Hang on a sec, you're not even human anymore? That's gotta suck, huh? Well, what _are _you anyway?" Sakura bit her lip as he rubbed his venom into the cut on her brow. "Ow! Ow, that doesn't mean I'm gonna turn into a vampire does it? Is that why you've not been biting me?" She'd grown scared in nearly an instant.

"No, no, no. " Soothed Neji, his eyes crinkling in a slight smile. Sakura's mind reeled at the even further display of odd emotion. "It's just going to heal your wounds. You'd have to drink _my '_blood' for anything to happen to you as a human. But, that won't change you either. The only way to change you is to give you enough of my 'blood' to override your system. Biting you wouldn't do anything to you, except make you bleed." Neji chuckled as realization dawned on her features, and continued on. "I've been my partner enough times to know that for a fact."

"Oh, a partner?" Sakura rose a brow and grinned. Neji, catching her drift, blanched and hastened to continue on.

"No! She's a girl, you twit! She's beautiful... I don't want to turn her, because I'm a bit afraid that things will change. And if she attacked my s-" Neji froze and broke off, going back to what he was doing.

"You 's-' what? What were you talking about?" Pressed Sakura, trying to lean forward. Her bruised ribs groaned and her breath caught.

"I- it's personal. I can't tell you." Neji replied shortly.

"Oh... Well, anyway, I think it's great that you actually have a girlfriend!" Smiled Sakura. She honestly meant it, too. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost Naruto, and the fact that this guy had a girlfriend made things easier. "I, um, don't know if it'll bother Itachi or anything, so-"

"_Don't _tell him! I swear to God and all that is holy, if you even _mention_ T-_her _to him, I'll kill you myself!" Snarled Neji, dropping her to the ground. He was on his feet before she could even blink.

"Jesus Christ, Neji! I was just about to tell you I _wasn't_ going to! It's great that you love her so much; you think I want to ruin that? The world_ needs_ more love!" Sakura paused and then frowned. "Jesus, I sound like a basket-case..."

Neji sighed and squatted back down to help her. This girl would be the death of him if he didn't figure her out- and fast.

* * *

"How long has the little bugger been running around here, anyway? I think I lost track..." Smirked Kankuro. "Little boy Blue. He's weird, but... I think I like having the little creep around. It makes me feel '_young'_ again. "

"Oh don't mock me, you bastard!" Temari playfully retorted. She smiled and looked back out at Blue running around the large back field as he chased rabbits. "He's such an idiot. But, I think that's why I love him..."

"Blue! Come on! Hurry up, before the sun rises! It's your bedtime!" Kankuro turned back to Temari, and whispered, "Do all newborns act like children, or just him?"

"_You _were the same way, Kankuro. If you ask me, you were an even bigger- ow!" Kankuro smacked her in the back of the head, and she spun around as if to punch him, but paused when she saw that their other brother was watching. She whistled absently and sarcastically whistled as if she wasn't doing anything. Gaara rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. After not even a seconds deliberation he rolled back forward and onto his feet.

"Bring it inside." He turned on heel and strode into the house, slamming the door behind him. Gaara immediately cloaked his emotions, lest Temari get a hold of any tangible strands of it. Then he'd never hear the end of her trivial babbling.

He walks quickly and deliberately with his vampiric haste, but there is no comparison to the speed of your average human, so it does not seem quick at all. It seems normal. He has never grown used to how slow humans seemed, and it bothered him to no end. He didn't even _feel _human anymore, and he suspected that was because he knew he wasn't. All of his vampire life, he'd been taught that vampires were better, but he couldn't ever agree with that fact.

Was being cooped up during the day and shut out during the night really a blessing? He'd never been a peaceful sort of person in his normal life, but he'd never been this psychotically set on killing. Sure he'd been somewhat psychotic- but his mother used to tell that it was his redeeming trait. Being a trouble-maker back then, in a small town... it had not been the best choice. It had certainly impacted his lively-hood.

He can hear Blue thumping his way inside as he flops down on the couch, and then rolls off and scurries off to somewhere else. Gaara suspects that the little cretin is following him again, and heads off toward the tunnels. Passing through the parlor and into living room, he presses up against the door-frame that he's just entered through.

The door trembles, and slides into the wall, only to be closely followed by a panel that looks just like the regular wall. This panel was inside of the walls, and serves to hide the living room from the parlor.

Gaara, still desperate for some peace and quiet, moves over to the couch, and lifts up and end so that he might pull the carpet back. He peels it up off the floor and quickly but carefully folds it over. He presses his hands along the edge of the floor until he finds the crack he is looking for, and bites into his arm. The skin parts, and the dark current of vampire venom flows out. The blood trickles onto the floor, and Gaara sighs.

The skin on his arm is already healed by the time that he finished smearing his blood into the thin grove that separates one strip of wood from the next. The blood shivers and changes to a soft pink color, and expands to form a jagged outline on the rest of the floor.

Poking his finger under the crack, he eases it open and then slips inside. It is dark down here, something he likes. It is not silent, but the further back that he goes, the quieter it gets. Gaara is a man who likes his quiet; better yet, a man who likes his silence.

* * *

Blue ducks underneath the curtain that covers the window, and sighs as the sky begins to turn pink. The sun is beginning to set, and he misses it.

"Blue, why're you staring out the window like that? You better get back in here before you get burned," Warned Temari. She narrowed her eyes as he sighed heavily and turned around.

"I miss the sun..." He sat down and looked away, trying to remember why it bothered him that he couldn't feel the warmth of it on his skin.

"Aww, well that's just part of getting your old self back. When you first became a vampire, all memories of old life got shoved aside, so it would make the transition easier. When you get your memories back, it'll seem like you never lost them, and we'll have to explain all of this to you again... Bear with me if I get aggitated; 'cuz I can guarentee I will." Temari informed him, smoothing some of his golden hair out of his face. "You'll probably wonder why we're calling you little Blue, and why you're even here. We'll have to be careful... When Kankuro first got his memory back, he tried to run outside and see if it was true, and nearly killed himself in the process. Do you promise you won't do that?"

Blue nods, and closes his eyes as she toys with his hair. It feels nice for some soothing physical contact after such rough interceptions from Gaara. Kankuro wasn't gentle by anymeans, but he wasn't as malicious with his movements as Gaara. Gaara moved to inflict pain, and he seeked a reaction; pretending it didn't hurt only prompted more pain. Blue had learned quickly to respond when asked. It wasn't a verbal question, but that of a feeling.

"Do you think I'll ever get my memory back? I'm trying; I keep searching for it, and searching... It's the weirdest thing not being able to remember your own name. I don't even feel like I know I should." Blue groaned and looked down at his hand, the strange pulse running through it a telltale sign. "I know I'm not human, but for some reason that doesn't feel right. I don't even know my real _name_, but I know that I'm not a normal person. Is that strange?"

"Some would say so, but I wouldn't. You're not a normal person; you're a vampire person. Things are different when you're a vampire. I'm nicer to everyone; which is odd. I guess when I was actually alive I was always so worried about protecting myself that I didn't realize other people needed protecting, too." Temari smiled softly and kissed him on the forehead as a mother or sister might do. "No go to sleep before you start to bleed, little Blue. I'll get you some blood in the evening, all right?"

Blue nods, and smiles slightly as she tucks him into the bed, and then he looks down. He realizes once again that even though he feels as a young a prepubescant, he is physically an adult. As Temari leaves he feels distraught with emotions of such a strong caliber that he feels the need to weep. He tries his best not to, but it's hard. It doesn't matter anyway.

He does not sleep very well that night, no matter how bad his body needs it. His mind keeps him awake, and he feels on the verge of remembering something, and so he stays awake. He drifts in and out, but does his best to maintain consciousness. It doesn't work very well, and in the morning the only result he gets are blood stained sheets and a headache worse than he could ever explain. He is no closer to his goal of remembering than when he first stared out the window and realized that he remembered what the sun was, and what it had meant to him before.

Swimming in the warm water in the summers, get sunburnt, the sweet smell of the sun-block.... There was another flicker of a thought, something that made his insides slightly warm, but he couldn't place it. The feeling felt a bit empty, and it worried him. What was he missing? Hell, what _wasn't _he missing! He couldn't remember his own name; surely he was forgetting more important things than that...

* * *

He was back to being a jerk again. He pulled her hair for the fun of it, and laughed at the jokes Itachi made about her. Sakura had taken back the feelings she'd had before, and was now making the journey in a bitter mood of hatred. She'd been somewhat thankful before, for the sparing of her and Naruto's life... but now...

It seemed as if she'd been in a state of shock before, and the magnitude of the situation hadn't hit her until now. Why couldn't he just be nice to her again? Why must he be so rude?

"Where're we going anyway? We've been walking for days!" She grumbled, her stomach growling. "I haven't had a decent meal in_ forever._"

"We get there when we get there!" Snapped Itachi, shooting her a glare that made her quiver and regret speaking out of turn. "Besides, we can't just stop _willy-nilly _and buy you things. We have to get where we going first, and then I can assure you that you'll be _much _more comfortable."

Itachi smiled slightly at the relieved look on her face, happy for once that he'd be able to follow though with a promise. He was so used to breaking them- in fact, he didn't remember one in the past three decades that he'd even kept. This was a refreshing change of pace. He turned forward again, motioning for Neji to stay with Sakura. "I tell you what. I'll go get you something to eat. What do you want?"

"Um... anything! Just bring me back... a, um... milkshake! Strawberry! If they have chocolate though, get me that! Oh! Food_! I get to eat real food_!" Sakura squealed and balled up her to shake them in triumph.

"Alright. I'll, be back!" Informed Itachi. Neji smiled at Sakura as Neji left, and Sakura forwned with confusion. What was going on?

She and Neji quickly settled into easy conversation, and it was only when he explained it that she realized it; he couldnt be nice to her when he was around Itachi. Itachi was the mean one, and he was the secretly nice one. Sakura never in her life thought that she'd meet a vampire, let alone a truly nice one. It made her wonder what it all meant.

* * *

"Oh, my..." Groaned Temari, "What if I don't like who he really is when he remembers everything?!"

"Stop worrying." Sighed Kankuro. "This _is _who he really is. If he acts different, you'll know what he thinks he's supposed to be, not who he really is. Geesh. You'd think someone who knows what everybody is feeling would know what she's missing. "

Temari rolled her eyes and casually sharpened her teeth with a file. Kankuro's brows perked and she scowled. "Yes, I'll do yours after I finish with mine. You'd think _you'd _learn to do this after being around for as long as you have!"

Kankuro laughed and rolled his eyes with a careless shrug. "Sue me for being worried about more important things." Kankuro looked up as Blue stumbled in and plopped down into one of the chairs. Temari took one look at the blood dried to his ears and the corners of his eyes and her mouth fell open.

"Jesus, Blue! What the hell did you do, stay up all night?" Temari frowned and got a wet rag and began to gently scrub the blood from his face. She frowned when she saw that his face was twisted with confusion.

"Blue?" He squinted at her, unsure of why on Earth she was calling him that.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Temari rose a brow, sensing his confusion. Had it already happened! Why so quickly? It had taken Kankuro much, much longer. Temari bit her lip, afraid of his answer.

"Why're you calling me _b__lue?_ My name's Naruto!" Temari's breath caught and she looked away to keep from breaking down. "Wha- um... Don't cry!"

He raised his hands in a submissive gesture, and Temari's brow wrinkled at the sight of his wince. What the hell was she going to do now? She thought she'd found a friend, and now she was probably going to lose him. He was terrified of her!

Temari reached out to touch him, to soothe him as she'd been doing for the past few weeks every time he was frightened. He flinched away again, and her hopeful expression fell. Temari drew in a shuddering breath and turned fled the room.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Snapped Kankuro. He shot the boy a nasty look before rising. He angrily shoved Naruto out of the way and chased after his sister.

He looks down at his palms and heaves a shuddering breath of his own. What had he just done?! He couldn't for the life of him remember what it was that was making him feel so dreadful. He knew he felt awful about what he'd done, but he didn't know why; he'd hurt girls' feelings all his life. Why was this one diff- oh, god! A girl! With a sudden rush of nausea he remembered Sakura, and the fact that she was all alone with those vampires. _That's _what was making him feel so damned awful!

His breathing changed, and he found it constricted and odd. No matter how hard he tried, it came in strangled and gargled. He leaned over towards the table, struggling to keep himself in check. What was going on? The world was spinning before his eyes, and he couldn't bring himself to make it stop.

The sound of fluid rushing through his veins and the sound of his lungs wooshing the air in and out terrified him. Everything was so loud that it frightened him; was he dreaming?! None of it felt normal, not even movements... Everything was disorienting and discombobulating.

His eyes closed as he feinted for the first time in his new life, the strange sound of gurgled moans and screams pulling him down. The screams had terrified him up until the darkness claimed him. He didn't even know that the screams were his; that his vocals spread easily though out the house. But Temari did, and so did Kankuro.

**So. In the next chapter, Gaara has the opportunity to go 'confront' somebody. :) Want it to happen? VOTE FOR IT THEN! **

**Or you could vote for Naruto running off after Sakura, and the drama beginning that way. :) Your pick, folks! :D **

**ONE OR THE OTHER this time. **

**Lauren. **

**Reviews are the sex and all things yummy, and all the endorphines you feel after that damned workout. I put effort into this! Can I get a result? **


	4. The Idea of Death

The lambent candlelight playfully skittered back and forth across his skin, only lighting half of his face. The blood hued shock of hair contrasted heavily to his palely shaded skin, and the dark shadows that marred the skin beneath his startling eyes. The deep circles there were getting deeper with age, though this was not specific to all vampires. He didn't like to eat more than was absolutely necessary, and that wore his body down. His brother and sister had no problem killing for food; they didn't take more than they needed, but they took as much as they did need.

If Gaara took as much blood as he needed, they'd have been caught long ago. He was leader of the clan, and as such he required more blood than the rest of the clan. There were things that his body and mind could do that were specific to clan leadership, and performing all of these all the time used up his energy quite quickly.

Turning the small figurine over and over in his hands, he frowned. He shifted to look around himself, the deep echoes of footsteps rushing to meet him. They were.... in the second southern tunnel, and approaching him. He knew the tunnels well, and he should; he created most of them.

"What do you want, Temari?" She'd never ventured that far down here, especially not during day time.

"I couldn't sleep; which reminds me- why don't you bleed down here? This is great! I can get so much more done!" Temari appeared in the opening of the room that lead to the tunnel, and Gaara shrugged.

"The rays don't hit down here, so we're okay. When you're up there the rays bounce off shit. Now what do you want?" He crossed his arms and leaned back, the light leaving the left side of his face as he did so. Temari frowned and looked to the floor.

"Bl- I mean _Naruto_ remembers some stuff. He says that the vampires who left him like that didn't kill everyone who was there..." Gaara sat up right, the candlelight somewhat highlighting his sharp features. His lips set in a firm line, he seemed to glare as he determined what she meant.

"Why should we care? Those idiots are the ones who put themselves in danger; its not likely that they'd think it was a vampire. Those idiots are too afraid to admit to believing that a strange occurrence to could be anything other than normal! I'm not going to start a feud over trivial boundary issues. If it happens again, maybe then I will warn them. But, this... this is of minor importance." Gaara leaned back easily.

"I don't meant that they left Bl- Naruto alive, Gaara! There's somebody _else_. A girl." Gaara growled with frustration and brought a hand to his face and rubbed viciously at his temples.

"Why are you telling me this?" He shifted his hand so that he could see with his right eye. Temari shivered, the shadowy eye creeping her out.

"You need to eat more, Gaara.... You're going to get too thin. Anyway, he's going nuts up there. You're the only one he'll listen to; he's not scared of me and Kankuro. Seeing as you-"

"Temari, I get the point." Snarled Gaara, already brushing past her as he rushed from the touchy-feely emotions he knew Temari was edging towards. What the hell was going on?

* * *

"Hn. Sarutobi's at it again, huh? I thought we dealt with this years ago. Has the old man forgotten already?" At these words Mercutio bristled and grabbed the silver-haired man by the collar.

"Listen up, you arrogant son-of-a-bitch! Sarutobi may be an old vampire- but he's ten times the vampire _you'll _ever be!

If y-"

"Good _god, _Merc! Shut the _hell _up." Groaned Kakashi. "I'm _twice_ you're age- I don't need a _lecture!_" Mercutio growled, letting go of his taller associate. They were by no means allies- they despised each other. They might work for the same side, but they'd do anything they could to tear the other down a peg.

"Whatever. Just-... Follow up on this, alright? I know you're all '_mysterious'_ and '_aloof',_" Mercutio began, "but, please- listen to him. He... he's agitated. I haven't seen him like this in a while. He's not sure of what's going on, and that scares me."

Kakashi was still for a moment, absorbing the severity of the situation. As light-hearted as he'd been about the matter before, it was hitting him now that he needed to be serious. "Alright. I'll show, but let me get some shit together. I'll need a day or two. "

Mercutio snorted, and then laughed. "A day or two? _No. _You've got one. _One _day, Kakashi. We aren't kidding around here."

"'_We_'.Since when did _he _let you associate himself with you? There is no way that the two of you are a _we _now. You're a ki-"

"Kakashi, I've been a kid for thirty-eight years. I'm not as young as I look." At this Kakashi laughed, and Mercutio scowled. "What _now?" _

"Ha! I'm like... _three _times older than you! Bwahaha!" Kakashi burst into false laughter, finally triumphant in getting Mercutio to leave. It was on his own terms, too- he'd gotten the last word. He hated being left mid-sentence, or with a weak exit. It was so... unsatisfying. Kakashi didn't like being unsatisfied- to date it was the only thing that could make him feel anything more than delightedly bored.

* * *

"Oh my god, she's gone... she's with them.... What do I do? Oh no, what do I do..." Naruto moaned, his hands pressed into his face as he rocked back and forth so quickly that his upper body looked like nothing more than a quivering mass of color.

"Who is Sakura?" Demanded Gaara. Naruto jolted, completely taken by surprise. He hadn't even gotten around to telling them her name; Gaara had delved deeper into Naruto's mind than was actually allowed by their- meaning only their family's rules- allowed for.

"Uh-uh- she's m-m-" Gaara growled impatiently and pressed his hands to Naruto's temples. He focused on his hands and shoved himself past Naruto's mental borders. Naruto's soul was shoved aside into a little corner of the mind. Naruto was resisting, but he was still new to the technique. Gaara was literally inside Naruto's mind now, hearing all the thoughts that were being thought and roving through all the thoughts that he had been thinking.

He quickly gathered that Sakura was Naruto's fiance, and immediately set his mind to the night that they'd found him. He frowned as he watched the scene, immediately recognizing the culprits. He was displeased with Naruto's actions; he would've thought that someone like the man he'd grown to know in the past near-month would've showed a little more class towards his woman. The high-pitched scream that he'd emitted when bitten were as displeasing as they were informative.

Gaara's suspicions had been correct; Naruto might've been in a man's body, but morally he was still a little boy. He still had tremendous amounts of growing up to do, and Gaara didn't want to be the one to teach him. He disconnected quickly, the sudden jolt of his forces leaving Naruto so quickly that he was shoved back with tremendous force. Kankuro rushed to catch him; he knew from experience that it took a good while for the brain to reconnect when violated so rudely with such unprepared measures.

Gaara, who'd been solely concentrated on his pupil's mind, could now hear his siblings berating him. "For fuck's sake- shut _up. _At the rate _he _was going, we would've been at this for _nights._ Now I have all the information we need. Thank me later."

Gaara stalked off to his secret hovels, reveling in the flustered state that he left them. As a vampire with such a job as clan leader, his half-life was quite boring. What little pleasure he'd just gotten out of aggravating them would have to last him the next week; God only knew if there would be time for a moment of his own satisfaction in the next week. Gaara let out a rasping, breath as he slipped into his once-secret haven. It was no longer a secret anymore. Now he'd need to build and create _more _secret passage-ways. The house was already full of them, most of them were still hidden to Kankuro and Temari, but they were beginning to find them rather consistently. It worried him, but mostly it angered him.

As much as he did for his family, they could at least give him the peace that he so desperately craved. He couldn't even kill himself to finish it all off- they wouldn't let him. He couldn't release them either- what would be the point? They'd never leave anyway. If that happened, he'd just have no control over them. What point would his half-life have if he couldn't have some sort of control over it?

As he lightly padded through his labyrinth of tunnels, he began mulling over a mental checklist of the things that he'd need to prepare. He'd be up for a few days and nights getting all of this ready if they were to find the girl in- Gaara paused and then cocked his head as he realized something. Time... The one vampire that he'd seen... he kept getting the image for time, and the feeling of time. What was it about time?

He couldn't forget things, but he couldn't place the thought. It was on the edge of his brain, the tip of his tongue... Gaara hastily packed while he struggled to bring light to the name of the red-eyed vampire. The more and more he thought about that vampire, the angrier and angrier he got. His body was quaking so horribly that he couldn't keep his grip on the small iron pan that he was holding.

It clattered to the floor, the sound of wind-chimes going off in his head. His rage faltered and then forged on, the remembrance of his _dear _mother coming to mind. He'd been so angry at her the day that she died- she'd helped him to become the vampire that he was, and then she gave it all away. She'd killed herself right when he needed her most, and he never could've imagined that he'd hate her so much. He'd loved her more than he loved himself; what did that say about her killing herself? In a sense she'd killed part of him, too. But, where were the thoughts of his mother even coming from?! He usually didn't associate his rages with her, only when it was something of severe importance.

How couldthis _ever _be that important? Gaara didn't know how deep he was in the whole matter, but he wanted out. He was not a man who liked to worry, and right now- he was worried as _hell.  
_

_

* * *

_

Temari frowns as Naruto attempts to swallow the blood, but his throat refuses it. He can't force himself to eat now that he remember what he's done and how he did it. How he lost her... he hadn't even begged her to stay as he should've! Temari could feel the self-loathing practically radiating off the man, and tried to help him, but to no avail. He was too far into his pity to turn back now. She sat down at the table next to Naruto, and exhaled as she pondered her possible actions.

Kankuro was hiding somewhere in the house, she could feel him, but he'd cloaked himself and she couldn't directly find him. She'd learned by now that he let her know he was in the house to provide her _some _comfort, but not enough to find him. He was a tough one to place when it came to how he cared for his loved ones. He was brutally honest, and tried to completely close himself off when there was the chance he'd get hurt.

Temari frowned, thinking of this. He was still present, so he must not have been to upset by the whole ordeal. Usually his flight-or-fight response was reserved for when he was scared or angry. Hiding was saved for when was thinking, or leaving other to think for themselves. So what was he doing this time? Was he thinking of how to help them, or was he giving her and Naruto a chance to work things out?

"Kankuro, this is so much easier for me when you tell me what I need to do! I can't do this on my own right now!" Temari announced loudly to the house. She could Kankuro shaking the foundations in response, and she brightened as she awaited his answer. "Are you gonna help or not?!"

The floorboards creaked, and Temari winced slightly as two invisible forces latched onto the chair and yanked her away from Naruto to the middle of the room. All by herself. "I'll take that as a 'no'... You're a lot of help, ya know that?"

Sneering as she stood to put her chair back, she flipped the room the bird, hoping that somehow he'd see it. The chair lurched from her hands and gracefully floated back the table before lightly 'plunk!'-ing down. Temari gave a wry smile and a soft snort of amusement. "_Gee, thanks _Kankuro."

The candles in the candelabra that rested in the center of the table wiggled before lifting out of their holders. The invisible forces connected to the candles lifted them and turned them sideways, drizzling the wax on the table top. The wax was poured into a smiley, and then the candles returned to the candelabra. Temari laughed, and then sat back down. She couldn't always count on help from him, but he'd give her a few laughs as compensation. Too bad laughs wouldn't fix the whole problem, though; that was just making things too easy, wasn't it?

* * *

Gaara's eyes flared wide as he remembered what he'd been searching for. ITACHI. That was what the message had been. Itachi was a name that he knew well, it was the name that he was always hearing from his brother and sister. Itachi was one of the ones who always crossing his borders; he'd let him get away with it, because he couldn't prove that there was anything going that shouldn't be. Usually he got vibes from vampires and humans alike that told him whether or not he could trust them. If those didn't work, he delved into their minds. He'd never been able to delve as far into Itachi's mind as he'd been able to do Naruto, for lack of ever having time to physically go in. But, from what he'd surface skimmed Itachi had seemed alright.

That was what made him so angry, he supposed. He'd been dead-wrong about the man, and he'd been deceived. Itachi must've been forewarned about his ability, and thinking false thoughts throughout all of their encounters. Gaara grabbed his cloak and made for the tunnels- he was going to speak to the leader of the Akot house. This was _unacceptable._ They were supposed to be allies, but if this was the kind of communication they were going to share, their alliance was over.

He didn't bother telling Temari or Kankuro where he was going; why should he? They had enough to handle with the boy- why worry them about the alliance? Gaara mentally blocked himself off, and set out through the tunnels. He was going to do some important business, and he couldn't have them butting in like they always did in the middle of it. He couldn't afford it this time.

* * *

"Whoa. Where'd he go?" A startled Temari sat up on the couch, the sudden disappearance of her pale-skinned brother taking her completely by surprise. There hadn't even been a warning. But as were so many other things with Gaara, warning was often unwarranted and unguaranteed. Temari closed her eyes as she continued to think over their options.

Naruto got up to leave the room, mumbling something about going to his room. Temari nodded wordlessly, covering her face with her palms. Everyone was leaving her- what was so wrong with her that they didn't want to hang out with her? She sighed and got up from the couch, heading into the bathroom for the shower that she so desperately craved. It felt good to have the hot streams of water warm her cold-blooded body. At first the water sered and burned, but that didn't hurt so bad. She liked the pain anyway; her brothers would always ease into the warmth unless they were feeling particularly masochistic that day. She liked the cold or warm jolts of pain that she ordered; they made her feel alive. They made her feel human.

All her human life she'd hated the miserable weakness of humans, but these days she'd give anything to be weak and defenseless if it meant that she could feel the warmth of the world again, as she remembered it. Why couldn't she just be happy, dammit?! She had everything everything she'd ever wanted, and some things that she hadn't even thought about. Why wasn't it enough; why _couldn't _it be enough?

* * *

Kankuro listened silently to his sister's frustrated sounds and the angry splashes of water as she tried to rid herself of the vampiric shell covering her body. The corner of his mouth twitched into a slight frown. His constantly drawn eyebrows tightened further and he unwound his body from the curl that he'd formed and hung idly from the ceiling but a single arm before dropping silently to the worn floor of the cellar.

He wandered over to the wine that had set there for about a hundred years and casually plucked one of them from the shelves. He remembered being a young child and coming down here at night to get wasted all by himself, and the tortuous treks back to his room. All the way back then, that'd seemed to be the worst thing he could ever picture himself doing. Even as an eleven year old he'd liked the taste of alcohol; even now he missed it. The drunks at the bars that he usually drank from were doing more than just drinking alcohol. He didn't particularly like the taste of cocaine. The venom burned most of it off before he could get high. He didn't like the taste, but the after effect was always interesting.

He brought the bottle to his lips, trying to force himself to drink it. It went down, but the taste was gone from it. All he could taste was dust and dirt, and the unpleasant sting of a dry mouth. Angrily he spit it out, the once pleasant taste gone from his tongue. He wondered if he'd ever be able to get effectively drunk again. This was something he'd definitely be looking into. Humans had it so easy. They could get drunk, wasted, even high to avoid their problems. As a vampire, he couldn't even leave his house for enough to time to get over his pent up anger. If he didn't run away sometimes, he'd probably kill his family. He wasn't good with rage; at least his brother could control it.

But Kankuro had something his brother didn't- connections. Gaara was always so busy being the self-loathing clan-leader that he hardly ever left the house save for his hunting. Even then he didn't want to leave, but it was something he had to do. Kankuro enjoyed the hunt, hell he reveled in the feel of tearing limbs from torsos, the sickening squish of flesh, and the dark taste of blood. He loved what he was now, even if he missed what he grew up with. Some things were worth the sacrifice. For what he had, he was willing to pay.

* * *

Naruto desperately hoped that they wouldn't know he was leaving. It was too close to daylight for them to even think about him slipping out, but he couldn't bear to leave in broad moonlight. It would be too obvious, and he knew that they would try to stop him. He just couldn't let them stop him. They'd been so nice to him; if he just threw it back in their face, where would that put him? He'd be an asshole.

He knew that he was being an asshole by leaving, but he couldn't- wouldn't- pussy-foot around their emotions while he had his own garbage to deal with. He didn't really have any idea what he was doing, but he could tell from the way that Gaara had stomped off that he wasn't going to get any help. Why leave Sakura all by herself with those... well, he couldn't call them freaks, because he was just like them. What _else _would that make him? Oh, right- a hypocrite. He didn't mind being an asshole, but he'd been called a hypocrite one to many times to care for it. Once had been enough.

As he roamed beneath the canopy trees searching for some sort of shelter, he wondered desperately of where she could be. It was beginning to dawn on him- he was really beginning to realize just what 'he didn't know what he was doing' meant. He didn't even have the slightest idea of where to start. But, he couldn't go back. He was too full of himself to do that. He knew he was too full of his own pride, and that in putting off returning he could be endangering her, but if she'd made it this far, she could surely wait a little longer, couldn't she?

* * *

Temari rolled over on the couch, a soft huff of breath leaving her as she sighed in her sleep. Kankuro and Gaara had long ago agreed that this was when she most peaceful. Despite her cool, calm, and accommodating demeanor with strangers, she was a witch when you had to be around her all the time. That girl had mood swings that rivaled Gaara's.

She always referred to Gaara as being younger than her, which pissed him off to no end, because his body was younger than hers, but he was technically for years older than her. He was twenty-six years older than Kankuro, even though Kankuro's body was three years older. God only knew that he'd always been more mature, even if they were human longer. He didn't find enjoyment in social relations, he was actually a man of solitude. He liked it better that way.

To be perfectly honest, the sounds of life disturbed his sensitive ears. He didn't mind talking as long as the conversation was intelligent, but that was getting increasingly hard to find in the current day and age. The current rage was idiocy and over-sexed behavior. As over-sexed as vampires were, he found it incredible that the libidos of humans have increased nearly ten fold in the past century. This centuries women- and men- were a word that his mother had not even had to forbid him from saying. It hadn't really been used that much back then, but that didn't really matter. He swore at times, but he was never one for the nasty derogatory words. They were as displeasing to hear as the meaning they held. His father had beat the urge to swear out of him when he was very young, and it was one of the few things he thanked the man for.

Lifting one of his heavier bags, he threw it on the floor and edged it under the finely polished cabinet. He shifted some bottles around and then sighed. Even if the girl had begun to change, he didn't know if there was much he could do. Even as a herbolgist and chemist he couldn't think of what to do with it. He was more of a herbolgist than a chemist. If anything he was an alchemist, but he hated that word. People- vampire or not- heard that word and assumed that he could work wonderful magic. There was a sort of magic involved, just as there was in creating a vampire, but it wasn't the kind of magic that everyone thought of. Every action with this magic had an equal and opposite reaction. It was a math of sorts, and he was a mathematician; just a less dorky, geeky sort of version, and more of a killer genius. Not that he was bragging. Hell, Temari and Kankuro didn't even know he _had _a lab down here. His mother had taught him about this, and given him free reign over her tunnels and single lab. He'd built and branched off of her original design, as well as carrying out and furthering the lab and research.

He plucked a suspended tube at just the precise moment, saving it from being cooked too far. He twisted a knob, and adjusted the angle at which it was heating, and then turned down the flame slightly. He brought said tube to just below his nose and swirled it gently, and used a hand to waft the sent back. Too much sulfur. He didn't want to dissolve the girl's veins...

As he hashed and re-hashed the formula, he grew more and more agitated. He'd work on this later. He needed to speak to the Akot leader. He was miles from home, trying to avoid thinking about Naruto's predicament, but he couldn't escape it. He had to get it out of the way before it drove him crazy. He was getting even angrier as he waited and put off speaking to him. The glass crushed beneath his fingers as he deftly curled his hand into a fist, completely unaware of what he was doing. He dropped the remnants onto the table as his hard flesh began to burn as the chemicals tried to dissolve his skin. This was not what he'd wanted!

His anger swirled dangerously higher as he vigorously wiped the acid from his hands. This was it. He was done fooling around.

* * *

The feeling was growing more and more ominous, bearing down upon him like a torrent of guilt-laden rain. Could it just be that he was feeling depressed, and not worried for the world? If only...

Sarutobi let out a low, growling sigh and stared once more down at the fields. Mercutio had returned a little under an hour ago having made the trip like a mad-'man'. Sarutobi had of course scolded the boy, but he couldn't have been prouder. It was as if the boy knew what he wanted, without having to be asked.

Sarutobi was growing fond of the little cretin. He was like a son, though the thought of admitting that aloud seemed to make his insides squirm uncomfortably. Sarutobi stared out into the field of wild grasses, taking in the solid forms of the horses that were anything but real horses. They were shifters, just like Mercutio. A horse was the first form they taught in this particular group, though it was definitely not the easiest or most useful. But, it would have to suffice for what he needed to do.

He looked out upon them with great trepidation, his nerves coiled and bunched in nervous preparation. He was tensed and ready, but he didn't know what for. With a single hand he massaged and smoothed his wrinkles, the other gripping onto the staff that he leaned heavily against. It wasn't much of a staff, just a simple stick. It actually served as a cane, but it was a good insult to those young vampires who weren't behaving properly.

Vampires. The thought of his staff reminded him of the vampires, and he sighed heavily with one last moment of indecision before slowly sinking to the ground. He sat with his legs crossed, and closed his eyes as he meditated. In his mind eye he flitted across the landscape and scenery, a part of his soul leaving his body to carry out the task he posed.

He searched for what he was looking for until at long last he found. Technically it was more of a who, but then what were these things? Could they be justified as 'who''s? He didn't really care. He only knew that they were necessary if the world that he loved to live in was to stay in tact.

"It is time, my little ones." The only response were giggles and the flaps of wings as his creatures flew off to find their marks.

* * *

"Why, _hello _to you, too, Gaara." Grumbled the fellow scarlet-haired vampire, irritatedly dabbing at his white button-down with a town. The effort was pointless, but he was too irritated to care. Because of Gaara's sudden appearance, he'd accidentally bit through the flesh of his favorite bite. Said bite lay dying on the floor, the savory scent of his blood drifting up to meet his nostrils. "What a waste of good flesh.... Pray tell, Gaara, what brings you hear so early in the evening with such a rage?"

"You know damned well why I'm here you pretentious bastard!" Snarled Gaara, his fists clenching unhealthily tight. He was getting more and more agitated as the moments passed, and he was itching for a fight. His counterpart however, well he looked a bit shocked. But, that was just for a brief second before he masked it. He was considered a master of deception, but Gaara read right through it.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you'd just tell me I'm sure that we can work something out."

Gaara growls deep in his throat, slamming his fist off the table with such ferocity that even the dying man on the floor flinches. "Do not _lie _to me, Pein! Have you forgotten our agreement?" Gaara took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out with his words. "Why've you taken one of my vampire's girls?"

"You're girl? Well!" Pein chuckled and turned slightly away with a smile. "Since when have you been in the business of creating vampires all-" his voice changed to a mocking tone that suggested was speaking to a baby- "Willy-nilly?"

"I'm not. Creating him was... necessary." Gaara narrowed his eyes. "You still haven't answered my question. It does not matter what your intent was; she _must _be returned. If I can no longer trust you to keep your end of the agreement, this wil-"

"Don't worry about me keeping my end of the agreement!" Pein snapped, his pierced nose twitching indignantly. "I may be a deceiver, but I a man of my word. I do not say what I do not mean. You _will _have her back. We did you a favor anyway. She's used to vampires, and she hasn't even been bitten."

Gaara's eyes narrowed further into little slivers of sight. "What do you mean by 'hasn't even been bitten?' "

"Exactly what I said. We've been drawing blood. Wouldn't want to scar our little angel, now would we?" Pein chuckled at the disgust on Gaara's face, and then sighed with amusement. "She'll be back tomorrow. Good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Gaara replied gruffly. He was already stalking out of the room, not even bothering to speak any parting words or give parting gestures. He'd never been one for that, and didn't take kindly to the idea of ever being one for that.

* * *

Sakura hummed boredly as the day wandered by. She was beginning to grow accustomed to living by night and sleeping by day, but she still woke frequently during the day. It was like she had jet lag, save for the physical discomfort. She'd been one for wild party nights as a child, so it wasn't at all uncommon for her to stay up all night; making the permanent change was.

Well, she couldn't ignore that she was sore as hell. Her body was so tired of being hauled around and then flung onto beds where she was expected to stay for the next twelve to sixteen hours. She couldn't even remember how many days had gone by this way.

As she stared up at the ceiling, she began to wonder what it was all for. Why were they carting her around like this? She knew the area, and it wasn't as if it would take forever to get somewhere here. So what was with the delay? Why all the hindrances? Why was it taking so long? She was curious to know, but she'd never ask why. She was a feisty woman, but even she knew her limits. She wasn't in the best of positions at the moment- but that meant by no means that death was an appealing option.

**Author's Note: So. I'm sorry for cutting this off here, but I need some input! Whatcha think? Whatcha want?**

**Gaara confronts Naruto about why he left. But what happens after that?**

**Is sakura returned kindly?**

**Is she returned rudely, and dropped on the doorstep?**

**Is she even returned at all? Do they have to go get her?**

**It's up to you, folks! So get reviewing! :D**

**Lauren/Mellokai.**


	5. Your New Best Friend

**Author's Note: When I last left you all, we were waiting for Sakura to be returned. :) Just to remind you! :D Pleaseee review and enjoy. :) Sorry for the wait! :D **

* * *

The sky was just beginning to grow lighter, the soft tendrils of light filtering through the clouds.

Sakura stared pointedly, trying to avoid the boys' gazes; something felt off. She didn't want them to know she knew, but then again, she was worried that they wouldn't tell her. That they could hear her heart-beat was already enough to terrify her into not being able to keep secrets.

She wondered why they hadn't stopped. They'd been traveling all night, and her feet ached. Stepping over a large log, she winced as her hip popped. She was getting a bit worried that they'd die or something, and she'd be lost in the wilderness.

She leaned against a tree trunk and closed her eyes, drowsy. She could hear them warning her to hurry up, but she didn't care. For all their shit that she'd dealt with, they deserved to _carry _her. Sakura knew that was probably likely, because it was almost daylight. That always meant trouble for vampires.

* * *

Gaara could hear them moving around up above him. He was waiting just beneath the surface of the ground,under the front porch of the house. He knew that if need be it he could reach up and yank her under ground, because he could last longer in the sun than his brother or sister. He didn't know where Naruto had gone, or why he wasn't back here yet. If he'd just stayed here as he'd been ordered, he wouldn't have to worry about this. Naruto would've gotten her himself.

It wasn't as if he had plans, (He hadn't had personal plans in nearly fifty years.) but he still wanted to be able to have time to himself. He liked that about his life. He could be alone. What did it matter if he was with other people or not? Plain and simply it didn't.

But that still didn't write out the fact that other people needed _him. _He didn't dislike it, but a lot of the times it was more of a burden than a spirit lifter.

He could tell it was getting early, and wondered where they were. Why hadn't they returned her as they'd been instructed? If they didn't return her, would her immediately go see Pein, only for them to drop her off after he left? Or would he wait to go see Pein, and let them dispose of her before anything was done? He'd wait an hour...

* * *

The hour had gone by slowly, but he wasn't complaining. Most of the time he was waiting for life to end, but it never did. However, this waiting did end. He was just getting up to leave when he heard unfamiliar steps crossing the yard. He knew the sun had to have been coming up, but that didn't seem to bother these vampires. If it did- they hid it extremely well.

Gaara listened carefully as they knocked on the door, and then even more carefully as the door opened. They were not invited inside, and he could tell by the readings he was getting from Temari that she didn't trust them by any means. There was a lighter presence, with that of a beating heart. It was surprisingly calm at the exchange. Did she even realize what was going on? He could hear the footsteps leading off the porch, and listened for them to cross the yard before he moved to see Temari and the new 'addition'.

He moved quickly, to save time and energy that was wasted on moving slow. The first thing he noticed was how filthy she was. She seemed extremely aware of this, but didn't mention it. She ducked her head as her heart beat increased. She was nervous, huh?

Gaara smirked as he slowly circled her, taking in her dirty disheveled appearance. She obviously hadn't taken a bath in a day or two, and her clothes were covered in dirt and grime. He'd have fun terrorizing this one; he'd been waiting for a new target and she'd be perfect. As Naruto's girlfriend, she'd be here for a while. Which meant that he'd get to terrorize her all he wanted.

"Give me your hand." He ordered, grabbing it roughly when she didn't offer it. He probed her mind from the hand, before locking around her wrist as she tried to scratch him. He laughed as she screamed and tried to push him away, and ignored Temari's hands at his back. He would have his fun first.

_He was invading the first wall, and as he looked around he was interested with what he saw. Her mind was not set up as others were. It was compartmentalized, into rooms with cabinets full of files. He frowned as he walked through the rooms towards the room at the center of the house. There was a woman there, and that didn't make sense._

_He wonders to himself who it is, and he can see her eyes widen as she hears his voice. The walls shudder, and he is pushed back. It's his turn to be surprised- he can't get past them. At least not directly. _He smirks to himself as he feel his real hands slip up her arms, along her neck, and then they link together around the back of her head as they clasp at the temple. _Instant entry into her mind, that's what he's done. The little woman in the center of her mind seems to know that, but she fights anyway. The things that she flings at him wash right through him, because he is in control now, not her._

_As he wanders through the various corridors of her mind, he realizes that the other vampires had indeed not bitten her. He doesn't see why they hadn't; what purpose did protecting her flesh serve? Why not just bite her directly?_

Gaara pulls out of her mind to stare at her, before making a soft grunt of question. He turned on heel, striding off to his hiding place. He needed to think some things over... More specifically, he needed to think over what they'd been thinking. Why on _Earth _hadn't they bitten her? He knew Pein's vampires, and they ate every chance they got. They didn't believe in being efficient; if they got caught they left for about ten years, and then returned. When they didn't do that, they moved to the towns further away. Never in his time had he know them to leave a victim unbitten. It just wasn't like them.

* * *

Sakura stared after him, the curious tingle on her flesh burning into her skin. It felt as if his cruel touch would never be gone from her skin. His cool touch, though not uncomfortably so, had been rough and serious, though the look in his eyes had been much more intense. What the hell were these people? She could've sworn she detected blood leaking from his left ear before he turned and practically disappeared. Were they vampires as well?

"Yes, Sakura." Sighed Temari, her strange incite causing Sakura to flinch.

"Wha- can you hear my thoughts, too?"

"We don't hear your thoughts; none of us do. Gaara only gets a gist of them if he's not touching you, and when he does, he can take over your mind completely. Only clan members hear each other." Comforted Temari. "As long as he doesn't touch you, he won't hear your thoughts. Though, I wouldn't say you should fight him. He gets particularly... nasty to those who appose him. You'll just have to learn to work around his moods. He's not that bad."

As comforting as Temari was trying to be, she wasn't really helping. Sakura offered a weak smile, wondering if she'd ever know her name. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"

"Intuition. I can tell what you're feeling. Lucky guess, this time. I'm not always so lucky. Come on. After we sleep, I'll take you out to get something to eat. You don't look like you've had a good meal, not to mention a hot shower, in days..."

Sakura looked down, having forgotten about her ragged appearance, and suddenly blushed. "Oh, gosh, I look _awful! _I- um, do you think I could shower? I hate to start asking for things right off the bat, but-"

"Oh, of course Sakura. You're going to be here for a while, as scary as that sounds, so you need to learn to make yourself at home and ask for things when you need them. We tend to forget about human needs. It's been a while since we've had one staying here." Somehow, that actually made her feel better. The fact that she was staying in one place for a while meant she'd get to relax. Relaxed enough that she could sleep; she'd get her shower a little bit later. Talk about a warped sense of reality...

* * *

Naruto sank down beneath the maple in the yard, his blonde tresses swinging over his eyes. He needed a haircut;it seemed like forever since he'd gotten it cut... He'd forgotten about it, in all honesty. The events of his life through the past month had been more than enough to make him forget, and it had taken until he could no longer see past his hair without flipping it to realize it needed cut.

He had had to wait for the sun to go down to even come out and sit under the maple. He always thought best by the maple tree at his house as a child, and this maple tree reminded him of home. God, home. He'd never be able to go home. He'd never known his father, but he'd sure as hell loved his mother. She'd been a red-head, with the fiery personality to match. He was always told that he got his spunk from her, but he hadn't believed it til' now. He knew it was wrong, but he missed her a bit more than he did Sakura. Sakura was safe- at least relatively- with his clan. He was hesitant to return though; he still felt like a world-class douche for leaving like that.

Where the hell did this even leave him? He needed to call someone close, and talk to them, but he couldn't talk to Sakura. The only other female to talk to would be... his mother. But, what if... would she notice that he was different? Naruto snorted, because if there was one thing he'd always been it was different.

* * *

Sakura was laying on the bed of one of their extra rooms, trying to sleep as best she could. She wasn't getting very far with it.

She thought over the events that had occurred before she was brought to the place where she was now. She remembered Itachi getting yelled at for beating her. The man that had yelled at her had had red hair, just like Gaara. They looked quite similar, but she knew they weren't related. It just didn't feel right. She's not tired enough to sleep; the place is too strange- too interesting.

She hops off the bed, and begins to roam around, her fingers idly trailing along the smoothly finished walls. The house, while quite large, has a small compact feel to it. She didn't feel truly alone in any area of the house. It was strange, and it made her heart beat just a little bit faster.

Sakura came to a room at the end of a hall, and she touched her hand quite nervously to the polished sterling handle. She glanced around wearily, feeling eyes on the back of her neck. But no one was there. She eased the door open with a gentle hand, and slipped inside. It was another bedroom, and it didn't look like the bed had been slept in for years. Her round, green orbs quickly traveled across the intricate carvings etched into the framework of the bed, and smiled softly. It was much nicer than her room. She liked it in here. It had a warm, inviting feel to it that she couldn't resist.

Stepping onto the throw rug that covered the middle of the floor, she relished the soft feel of it underneath her dirty feet. She glanced down to see the carpet and smiled slightly, before frowning in distaste. She was filthy. She was the dirtiest she'd been since she was at the Piggly Wiggly, and that had been pretty damn dirty. Nothing like being covered in blood and guts to make you look pretty, right?

She sighed, looking up to take in the room. Directly in front of her, there was the large dormant-looking bed with matching mahogany end tables. It was a four-poster bed, the kind which had drapes and such to conceal whomever might be sleeping in the bed. They were open at the moment, and there was quite obviously no one there.

To her left there was a large dresser- it matched the mahogany end tables and bed. There was a polished wooden door with a polished silver handle. It was round, but had some intricate sort of design to it. Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to wander over and investigate it, or turn on heel, exit the room and never look at it again. The room had a foreboding sort of sense to it; but then again, so did the rest of the house.

Behind her was, of course, the 'd turned around, figuring that the owner of a house of this magnitude wouldn't neglect the entrance wall. This door didn't have the strange handles that the other doors did, but a plain bronze one. She wasn't sure if it was real bronze, but it had the bronzed color. She didn't know a lot of things about this house, but it was very interesting. There were pictures on the wall, in grainy black and white. In the photo there was a woman, holding a small bundle. Sakura wondered to herself if it was a child; she couldn't tell either way. Beautifully painted pictures of the same woman hung in silent company next to their truer partners.

The walls of the room were a soft burgundy. The color reminded her of blood; it wasn't a soothing memory, but she was growing accustomed to it. The thought of seeing Ino laying in a frozen, coagulated pool of her own blood was growing less and less but she'd _never _shake the image of Ino's pink hair. For once in their life she and the person she'd always been closest to had shared their looks. Ino had always wanted to die her hair pink, but had never gotten up the nerve.

Sakura turned to her left, away from the door that she'd entered through. This wall had photos as well, though they were well spaced out and had an unknown organization to them. Her mind wandered as she wandered over to the large file cabinet and small, but professional looking desk. It was a roll-top. The sliding portion was down, covering the top of the desk. Sakura padded over to it at a careless pace, and gently tugged on the top of the desk. It gave about a sixteenth of an inch, and then didn't move any further. Sakura sighed with disappointment. She knew that she had no right to be disappointed, but she'd been curious. There was another door to this wall, with an equally creepy doorknob.

Sakura squatted in front of the door to examine the strange knob. It was silver- and definitely polished. She could see reflection in the smooth portion that graced the frame of the door. The knob itself, however, was by no means smooth. It had a strange raised design. She didn't have any idea what it was, or even resembled. It looked like random swirls to her, but she didn't care for them. They gave her the willies, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

Sakura stood up slowly, her joints and muscles creaking uncomfortably. She was sore- she'd felt worse than this quite recently. She wished she could just run away from Naruto, and all the vampires that she'd encountered in the past month. Why couldn't she just leave it all behind; only after she'd met them had bad things begun happening to her.

Thoughtlessly she curled her fingers around the doorknob. A nasty jolt of pain shot through her hand, up her shoulder and to her head. Her hand retracted, and she shook it viciously. Her heart thundered in her chest, and she backed away nervously. She glanced down at her feet, not wanting to look at the strange room anymore. It was even more terrifying now.

She turned on heel, and left the room. She needed to take it a shower. She didn't need to investigate that room. No way.

At least, that's what a voice in her head was telling her. It sounded quite like her own, but she knew it didn't seem right. She scowled softly, and shrugged it off. She _was _scared of the room, but she could always go back later when she wasn't so weak and tired. Her sore muscles actually did feel better, though. Not all of them, but the ones in her right arm, shoulder, and the right side of her neck.

As she meandered through the hallways, her mind began to drift. As she rounded a bend she vaguely noted that her life she _had _been more interesting than it was before she met vampires. With that thought, she slipped into the bathroom that Temari had pointed out. She'd forgotten about it until the door handle had shocked her to her senses.

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a sigh as she turned the delicate knobs of the tub to let the water rush over her cracked fingers. As the water grew warmer, it stung her hands; Sakura didn't care though. It was a reminder of how clean she was about to be, and how many germs she was probably infested with.

When the water was a satisfactory heat, she pulled the small knob on the top of the faucet to turn the shower on. The sudden whooshing sound of water caught her off-guard and she giggled slightly. She smiled at her own childishness, and began to strip off her clothing.

It wasn't what she'd worn the night that Itachi and Neji had killed her family; they'd botten her two outfits to wear so that she wouldn't be so obvious. Of course, this _was _the outfit she'd been wearing when Itachi kicked the crap out of her. It was stained.

Itachi hadn't been so nice to her before he dropped her off, either. Her chest and back was bruised from the way he'd beat her the night before. He didn't seem to like her very much. She hadn't helped herself with that matter, either. She'd taunted him, and she didn't like to listen to him when he told her to do things. He'd beaten her often in hopes of making her give in, but it only irked her more, and she fought back even harder.

As the warm water washed over her and rinsed away the filth and residual stress that she'd been under before, she gently massaged some Herbal Essences shampoo into her abused scalp. As she gently used her finger tips to create a foamy lather, she was uncomfortably reminded of how Itachi had pulled her by her hair. She hadn't been bothered by him pulling her hair so much as the utterly loathing expression he'd been wearing while he yanked her around.

This memory triggered another one. As she squeezed body washed onto a pouf and began to scrub away at the thin layer of grime she thought covered her skin, she remembered Ino making fun of her bright pink hair. It had turned out that Ino was just jealous of the pretty pink color, but Sakura had always played it off with a laugh, stating that her Momma had let her dye it that color.

In truth it was really a strange for albinism, which made sense when one turn in her pale, pink-white skin. It was quite pink right now, what with all the force she was applying to the task of scrubbing it clean. Sakura continued to scrub for a long time; she scrubbed her skin until it turned bright pink and her toes pruned up.

When she finally climbed out of the claw-foot tub, every inch of her skin was bright, flaming pink. It was darker than her hair, which didn't happen often. The last time she'd been that red had been when Naruto let her fall asleep on the docks one year when they went swimming. She'd been unable to make pain-free facial expressions for over a week.

Sakura climbed out of the tub and painstakingly toweled herself off. Her skin, now sore as it was, didn't quite agree with the rough feel of the old towels that she found underneath the sink. Those, of course, were not the ones usually used by guests, but she didn't want to dirty the pretty, oh-so-soft ones that hung from the towel rack on the soft lavender walls. The towels were a matching, deep purple that complimented the deep purple carpets that were placed in front of the toilet, sink, and beside the tub.

She dried herself off as best she could, and then wrapped the rough, faded white towel around her head. She managed to stretch one of the smaller towels around her compact yet feminine curves, and self-consciously carried her filthy clothing in front of her hips to hide her girly parts.

Sakura wandered back to her room with a rushing pace, hoping that no one would see her. It seemed that the day had pretty much passed her by, because from the bathroom window she'd seen that the sun was slipping down beneath the line of the horizon.

At long last she found the room that she'd been sleeping in, and slipped inside. Earlier she hadn't noticed the soft shorts on the pine dresser. They were a little short; the soft purple material would only cover about one-quarter of her long, shapely thighs. The accompanying shirt; while just as revealing, was something that Sakura was used to wearing. It was a baby-doll top of matching purple and it had little bears sleeping on soft, pink clouds printed all over it. Childish; but cute.

Sakura slipped into the clothes, sighing with the newfound comfort that it brought her. Her hair was still wet, but she didn't want to turn on the hairdryer and disturb the vampires. She didn't want to make an even worse first impression than she already had.

* * *

Temari sighed under her breath as she deftly applied sparkly black eyeliner to her upper and lower lids. She batted her eyelashes at the mirror, and then sucked in a low breath as she reached for her mascara. Her muscles had so readily breathed for her in life that they still performed the task of their own accord.

She quickly swept some soft brown shadow across her eyelids, and then smoothed some luscious strawberry gloss across her soft pink lips, and then turned around to pick up her bag.

Her slender fingers curled around the thick black strap of the bag, and she heaved it carelessly over her shoulder.

She quickly checked that her hair was still in place, and then sauntered out of her room, and down the hall toward where she knew Sakura was sleeping.

Temari could sense that the girl had gotten up and gotten a shower at some point during the day, and she was quite eager to get her out of the house. Gaara knew that Sakura had been in their Mother's room, but she couldn't do anything to take that knowledge off of his shoulders.

Gaara wasn't happy that she'd tracked her scent- not to mention all the filth and such that had been all over here skin and clothing. He'd put those charms on the door to keep people like her out of there. He didn't want her clothing disturbed or her items moved. They were safe behind the doors that he'd charmed to shock intruders.

Temari silently opened the door and slipped inside. In her bag she'd already collected some clothing for Sakura. She'd selected a more comfortable set of clothing for the pink-haired girl that she was about to wake up.

With a light tug on the bed covers, the comforter was pulled free of the bed and a startled Sakura curled into a protective ball. Temari could feel the fear radiating from the girl.

However, when she saw that it was Temari, the terrified vibes almost immediately began to cease. Temari pulled the shiny leather bag off of her shoulder, and unzipped it with a soft smile.

"Are you ready to go get something to eat? I figured you'd want to be comfortable while you dug into your food, so I just grabbed one of Gaara's old shirts. All of mine are..." Temari glanced down at herself, taking in her tight, black, cleavage-flaunting, sleeveless, barely-there top. "Well, I just don't think that they're exactly your _'taste'."_

Sakura smiled nervously, and accepted the clothing. When Temari didn't leave, she paused. "Um, could you...?"

"Oh, girl please. Just think of me as your new best friend. It's nothing I haven't seen before," laughed Temari. "I _do _have my own pair." Temari laughed again, and indicated to own breasts, which were nearly popping out of her shirt.

Sakura sighed uncomfortably, and eased herself out of the bed. With yet another sigh, she pulled off her t-shirt and shorts. She swapped them plain black v-neck t-shirt, and dark skinny jeans that Temari had offered her. Sakura hummed softly to herself, something that she did when she was nervous. Temari's scrutinizing gaze wasn't making her feel any better.

"We need to do your makeup before we leave. You need accesories, too. And maybe some killer heels... How long has it been since you've plucked your eyebrows, or painted your nails? I'm not hauling you around when you look like a raggamuffin," scowled Temari.

Sakura gulped slightly, taking in Temari's appearance. She definitely took care of herself, and cared for her appearance. Perhaps a little _too _much... Sakura was a bit worried that she was going to end up little like a slut. All things considered, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her.

**Author's Note: So, I know it's been a longgggg time. :) I apologize deeply. I do have choices for you to pick from for the next chapter, but please suggest your own ideas too! :D I promise to reply to reviews for the chatper, okay? :) Any comment, questions, suggestions; you know what to do. :) **  
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**Voters Corner:**

**A- Let Temari give her a wild, slutty make-over. Gaara seems mildly interested.**

**B- Gaara interupts mid-makeover, and reminds Temari that their new charge is NOT to be played with like a doll.**

**C- Kai joins the party in the next chapter.**

**D- Kai joins the chapter after next.**

**E- You don't care when Kai joins up. **

**ALSO! I'm in need of two or three vampires for a BRIEF APPEARANCE. I won't need any specifics on personality, but a name and some physical traits would be nice. :) It's just be for the next chapter, okay? :) **

**Your loving author who missed you all so much, **

**Lauren/ Mellokai. **


	6. Only Time Will Tell

"I'm _not_ going out in this!" Sakura protested, taking her appearance in with the help of the full-length mirror that Temari had placed in front of her.

She nervously tugged at the hem of the tight, super low-cut top that Temari had pulled over her head. She'd ignored Sakura's protests. The bright green top had flowing material- everywhere except the bust. There it was tight, and her breasts yearned to escape their tiny prison. The only thing holding the top up- other than sheer luck- were two tiny spaghetti straps. It was like a tube top with jury-rigged supports.

Temari had paired these pants with daisy dukes- the kind that barely covered the ass cheeks of whomever was so careless as to wear them- and a pair of black, Marianela shoes from Baby Phat. She looked like a whore with great taste in her shoes. Sakura was in love with the shoes, but the rest of the outfit made her feel like a whore.

"Why not? You look totally fucking fuckable!" gushed Temari, opening her makeup case.

"I don't _want _to look totally fuckable! Can't we tone down the fuck me, and up the bitch factor? I don't want to look slutty! My Mom'll-"  
"You living with fucking vampires, and your worried about what your mom will say if you wear slutty clothing?" Temari popped a hip, and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you _shitting _me?"

"... No?" Sakura grinned sheepishly, and Temari rolled her eyes.

"_God, _I _love _you! You're going to be so much fun. We'll keep the shoes, and... Here!"  
Temari reached into her closet, and in under a second she'd shoved all the things aside, and grabbed a soft, strapless dress that would hit mid-thigh on Sakura's legs. It was a pale blue-gray, and it was much more modest than the last outfit she'd picked out for Sakura.

As Temari helped Sakura out of the excessively tight tube top, Gaara appeared in the doorway. "Don't forget to at least feed your new doll, Temari."

Sakura pulled back from Temari, hastening to cover her chest and she hid behind Temari to further block herself from view.

"It's nothing he hasn't seen before, dear." Temari giggled at the pointlessness of Sakura's actions, especially since she was still wearing her strapless bra. Modest much? "No wonder you were so uncomfortable with the other outfit. Did you know we have a classy little lady here, Gaara?"

"Just because she doesn't wish the flaunt her body in public doesn't make her modest. She's just not a... Well, she's not like _you_, that's for sure."

"I'm comfortable with my body. And it draws in my dinner, so fuck you. Women need a little more than good looks and a keen eye or quick smile to get men in this shitty little town. We'll be going a few towns over to get dinner; you'll get your food, and I'll get mine as well."

Gaara smirked lazily, and cocked a thin brow. "You won't be needing company, will you? I need to check on a few things..."

Temari shrugged, and then shook her head 'no'. Her teal eyes twinkled mischieviously, and Gaara paused. "No biting the guest. Got it?"

Temari scowled and stomped her foot. "No fair! She smells delectable!"

"To bad. I have first rights." Gaara smirked darkly before vanishing in a whirl of motion. His speedy actions created a heavy breeze, and Sakura inhaled deeply. Mmm. He had a dark, manly aroma that was _very _aromatically pleasing.

Temari could tell what she was feeling, and her features darkened. Why didn't anyone like her? Blekk! Getting girls these days was getting harder, and harder. She was going to have to go to one of those wretched gay bars...

Temari wasn't actually a gay (**PLEASE PARDON MY USE OF THE WORD!**), but she'd been a vampire for a long time, and she'd learned to love the body that she had. This, of course, led her to love others with bodies like hers. She still loved men, though. _Very _much. Being a vampire led to lots of time for experimentation.

With a sigh, Temari told Sakura to hold still. She'd already plugged in the straightener, that way it would be hot when she was done with Sakura's make-up. She used mineral powder foundation and spread it quickly across Sakura's face and neck for the sake of blending properly. She strayed slightly on the neck, but forced herself to continue because breaking Gaara's rules would mean bad things for her.

Temari brushed a thick line of charcoal gray along Sakura's upper lid, and a much thinner line along her lower lid. With a soft brush she smoothed the gray out into the eyelid, and then added some soft white and shimmery green to create a minty, smoky eye. She put a small dab of white in the middle of each upper lid, to give the shade some depth, and then gently put mascara onto Sakura's long, dark lashes. She wasn't wondering if Sakura was natural pink; she had already figured that Sakura wasn't, and didn't give it a further thought.

Uncorking a tube of pearly-pink lip-gloss, Temari easily applied some to Sakura's lips. She then grabbed the already-hot straightener, and quickly- and I _do _mean quickly- pressed Sakura's soft, pink tresses into razor straight fashion. She sprayed over it with perfume that suited Sakura to a t; it was ironically enough a mix of Japanese cherry-blossom, jade, and passion fruit. Sakura inhaled deeply and smiled.

Temari through a chunky, sea-green necklace over Sakura's head to even out the balance shoulder to dress ratio. A matching bracelet completed the look.

As relieved as Sakura was for it to be over, she did have to admit that she looked pretty fantastic. Smoking hot, even.

Temari smiled, catching the pleased emotions quite quickly. "You like it, huh?"  
"Yeah! I haven't look this good since... ever!"  
"Not even your prom?" Temari asked with surprise.

"No... My grandma sewed my dress. I mean, it was really beautiful- she had great taste- but... it just didn't compare, you know? It was touching and it hurt me so bad that I knew it wasn't good enough. But, I couldn't let her down, you know?"  
"Aww, Sakura. You are _too _nice! Live a little! Tonight, you are liberated! You're a new woman! You need a man!"

"But, I have Naruto..." Sakura protested softly. "I still have him, don't I?"

"Yeah, but he's a vampire now... You might have to give him some time to adjust to his new... differences."

Sakura nodded, and accepted to bag that Temari gave her. There were things in it already, but she didn't feel like snooping. As they walked towards the car, Temari took the lead. It was hard not to, what with her being super-fast and all. Walking at the human pace was always difficult to remember. Walking at Sakura's slow pace was nearly impossible. It'd been a while since Sakura wore heals though, and Temari didn't have to read her emotions to tell that she was having trouble.

Sakura smiled when she saw the Lexus LFA sitting in the small spacious garage. The sleek model of the LFA was just to her liking; in a small town, there wasn't much for the girls to do other than smoke, have babies, or get fat, or hang out with the guys thus deeming yourself un-date-able, but friend-able. She'd taken the un-date-able but friend-able root.  
She loved cars, but she despised most of the asses that drove them. Usually a person with a super nice car was compensating for something; this was not something she thought, but something she knew; she'd met enough rich pricks to prove her point quite well.

Temari turned the car on, and as it came to life, loud, crashing music bashed from the stereo. Sakura visibly flinched, and Temari hastened to switch the station.

As they drove along, she surged through the stations. At long last she came to a station with a grainy sound that played oldies music. Sakura didn't mind, but it wasn't her favorite movie. She liked the modern pop. However, she wasn't about to order a vampire try, for that matter.

They didn't talk much, but Sakura wasn't particularly uncomfortable. Her mind began to wander, and she began to think of what Itachi and Neji were doing. She had liked Neji, and she missed him, but she didn't miss all the meanness that he harbored. She didn't miss Itachi at all. But, she couldn't really do anything about missing either of them- she wasn't even sure it was exactly missing them, but instead fear of them coming to find her- so she pushed the thought away.  
Sakura sighed with relief when at long, long last they pulled into their restaurant. Temari hadn't bothered to tell Sakura where they were going, and Sakura hadn't bothered to ask.

From the looks of it, it was an Italian restaurant. There was a large sign reading "Little Italo's," and then underneath in smaller print it read "a family place!"

Temari, seeing this, snorted her disdain for such a cheesy slogan. Sakura smiled, hoping that they were on the say page.

"Guess this means we're family now, my little pink truffle!" slurred Temari, using a very Dracula-like voice. Sakura giggled in spite of herself, easily catching the vampire humour.

They stepped inside, taking in their surrounds in an open-minded way. The interior decorator had gone a little wild with the Italian theme, meaning that green, white, and red were the only colors in the color scheme.

The maitre'd greeted them with a warm smile, and a warm smell that soothed Sakura.

"Table for two, please," purred Temari.

"All our tables are full for now, but I'm sure that we'll have a few open up in half an hour," smiled the maitre'd. She held out a flashing, beeper that would go off when their table was ready.

Temari smiled softly, and scoured the girls outfit for a name tag. "Wendy, my dear, I'm sure you could... _slip us in_."

Sakura glanced sideways, startled to see that Temari's pupils had dilated ever so slightly. They weren't close to full moon, but they looked abnormally large in such bright lighting.

Wendy blushed heavily, giggled, and then scratched the back of her neck. "Well, we do have a table that just opened up, but there's someone in front of you, and-"

"I'm sure that they won't mind," pressed Temari, her lips curving up in a satisfied smirk.

Wendy's nose turned red, and she ducked her head. Grabbing two menus, she pulled back from her post at the small podium. Using her arms to show that they should walk beside her, she cleared her throat. "Right, um, this way!"

Temari gave Sakura a satisfied smile and Sakura giggled like a child in return.

As they walked past one of the doors to the kitchen, they were hit with the strong smell of cheese, tomatoes, and garlic. Sakura glanced to Temari, to see if it had affected her, and was only mildly surprised to see that she appeared perfectly fine. She was learning things everyday, and they were beginning to surprise her less and less.

Temari slid into the tiny corner booth, and immediately began to browse through the menu. "I'm fucking starvin' Marvin over here! Come on, Sakura!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, and plopped down next to Temari in quite an ungraceful way. She too began to scour the menu for food, hoping to satiate the extreme hunger in her stomach. She didn't really understand why Temari was looking through the menu, but she didn't particularly care. She just wanted food.

Sakura selected Spaghetti with meatballs, wine, and garlic bread. Temari, ordered a rare steak, and some salad. Sakura started at her, perplexed, scowling slightly when Temari winked at her.

Sakura's wine was accompanied with a glass of water that she greedily sucked down. She would've chugged the wine, but she decided not to for fear of spilling it on the dress, as well as not wanting to get tipsy in the presence of a vampire.

Temari offered Sakura her water as well, and Sakura sheepishly turned it down. "Sorry. I'm just really hungry," she giggled with embarrassment.

"After we leave here, I say we go grocery shopping. If you're to be staying with us, then I think it's only fair that we feed you well, and keep you from starving. Is there anything else that you'll require?"

"Well... I'll need a lay out of the land. I'd love to explore it; it looked very beautiful when I was being dragged through it by that chode Itachi..."

Temari laughed throatily. "Well, he's not exactly known for being compassionate, you know."

"Boy, ain't that the tru- OH!" Sakura's attention was quickly redirected to the waitress swaying towards them, food present. Her blonde hair reminded Sakura of her pasta. "Ohhh..."

As soon as the waitress set it down, Sakura grabbed her fork and dug in. The waitress laughed, and Temari smiled at the waitress. "Sorry. She hasn't eaten all day."

"It's quite all right. The foods good, but between me and you, it's a bit overrated. I'm Dominique, by the way," she breathed soothingly. "Is there anything else I can get you two?"

"Hm... We might get some desert afterward, but who knows." Temari nodded politely, and the waitress turned on heel and went back to the kitchen so that she might serve her next table.

As Sakura ravenously devoured her food, Temari slowly cut up her steak. She slipped little bits of it into Sakura's bowl, and Sakura wordlessly ate that as well. Temari did this so quickly that Sakura couldn't even see it happening. Temari would raise the fork up to her lips, then dash her hadn out with vampire speed and flick the steak into Sakura's bowl, and then pretend to eat what wasn't even on the fork any longer. It was quite genius, really.

They ate mostly in silence, only sometimes pausing their friendly charade to talk of how things would be run at the house. Before long, Sakura has finished her pasta, and was gnawing delightedly on her meatballs. She was stuffed, but Temari still had a whole half of a steak left. She wondered if Temari would get a box, and take it home so that she could eat it later.

Their waitress returned, and gave them their bill. Temari studied it quickly- it took her all of one second- and then reached into her purse to pay for their food. "Do you want anything else, Sakura."

"I couldn't eat anything else if I tried..." Sakura said grimly, wrapping her arms around her aching stomach. "Honestly I don't feel too good..."

Temari paid the waitress, and then sighed.

"Do you need any boxes?" Dominique asked softly, her lips curving into a complacent smile. Temari had given her a big tip.

Temari studied her steak, and then sighed. "No. I don't think it's going to get finished..."

"All righty! Well, you two have a _lovely _night, you hear?"

As she walked away, Sakura exhaled heavily. "Where did you park the car, again?"

"Oh, just around the corner. Do you mind if I stop in at the little vampire bar across town? You can come in of course, but it's not the safest place in the world."

"You guys have a whole vampire to yourself?" Sakura breathed with soft amazement.

"Well, it's just where we all hang out. Humans come there, too, ya know. They just don't know how fucking dangerous it is."

"Ahh..." Sakura studied her naked nails and sighed softly.

Temari smiled, and collected her purse and stood slowly. Sakura grabbed the bag that Temari had given her at the house and rose to her feet in a shaky, sluggish manner. She couldn't recall the last time she was this full.

Temari and Sakura got into the car and drove across town to the bar. Sakura couldn't pick out a name above the door, but she didn't really care.

Once inside the bar, Temari marched through to the back door, dragging Sakura by the arm. All Temari had to do was pick up some cash, which she hastily shoved into Sakura's bag. Sakura had no idea what was going on, and she didn't really care to, either.

After they left the bar, they began to walk back to the car. Temari, upon getting to her door, pauses and sniffs the air. She goes rigid for a moment, and then jogs across the lot. To Sakura, it looks like a world-class sprint. Sakura chases after, but can only go so fast on account of her shoes.

"What's wrong, Temari? Please don't leave me all by myself!" Sakura calls out, a pleading whine worming its way into her voice.

When she finally reaches Temari, she can see that Temari is kneeling over a small huddle of a person. Sakura's breath catches, and she stares at the young girl who was covered in blood, scratches, and what looked to be animal bites. She promptly throws up, spilling all of her dinner onto the ground.

"Shit. I _knew _I should have gotten the doggie bag..." Temari groaned, and darted away for a moment. Sakura didn't even notice her leave. But, she did notice when Temari reappeared in a whirl of perfume and cool air. She carried a blanket.

"What are you doing?" Sakura questioned softly, jogging after Temari's stiff, brisk walking pace.

"Taking her to Gaara."

"...Do you rescue people all the time, or what?" Pulling up her dress, she readjusted it to keep her chest from falling out.

"No. But, you're sure a lot of fun, and... Shit, Gaara's going to kill me, isn't he?" Temari looked back at Sakura in a questioning sort of manner, and Sakura let out a strangled sound.

"How the hell should _I_ know?"

Temari sighed, because she knew Gaara wasn't going to be happy. What the hell had possessed her to grab the girl?

After she settled the girl onto the back seat, she smiled softly. At least she smelled great... Temari wondered what she'd taste like, and then decided not to bite her, because she didn't think the girl could stand to lose any more blood.

They had to get her to Gaara. Temari wondered if even he could help her, because the girl was pretty far gone. Only time would tell.

**Author's Note: So! :D I hope you liked it. :) Sorry for the cheap, abrupt ending, but I wrote the last 1000 or so words of this in an hour. ;) I'm that good, haha. **  
**  
**

**VOTERS CORNER!  
**  
**A- Gaara and Temari battle it out, and Sakura's terrified by their fighting and runs off to hide somewhere in the house. She discovers one of Gaara's secret hiding places, and hides out there. He's pissed when he finds her there. **

**B- Gaara takes it all in stride, but only after demanding that Temari clean up the mess and never take in another stray. They're not a poor house, and they don't make a business of saving random humans.**

**C- Gaara gives venom for the new girl. **

**D- Kankuro gives venom. **

**E- You could give a shit less, and you just want to see Gaara and Sakura getting closer. :)**

**PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: If you have seen True Blood, or read the Southern Vampire/ Sookie Stackhouse series, you'll understand why the venom deal is a lot more important. ;) **

**SO GET TO VOTING GUYS! :D I could REALLY use the input! :) **

**Did you like the chapter? HOPE SO! :D**


	7. Taking in Strays

KANKURO WASN'T SURE whether or not they'd be able to save the girl. His hazel eyes, riddled with frustration, were practically glued to the slack features of her face as Temari tried to stem the blood that had once again begun to flow from the nasty gash in her neck. He hadn't seem a human this beat up in a long time; at this point he couldn't tell whether or not it was one of his own kind that had gotten to her or whether it had been a Lycan.

"How's she looking, Temari?" he murmured, placing a hand underneath her head as he lifted it to clean the blood that was trickling down her neck. Shamelessly, he licked it up. There was no point in wasting the blood; there was hardly any point in letting blood that smelled that ridiculously good go to waste.

"Not good, but I think we can save her. The blood made it all look a lot worse. Thanks for holding her in the car, Sakura. Gaara would definitely have freaked out if her blood got everywhere," admonished Temari.

Sakura nodded, glancing down at the gray dress that Temari had lent her to wear out to eat only a few hours ago. "I'm sorry, but your dress—"

"My dress is the _least _of our problems right now. Once Gaara gets here we'll figure out what we need to do with her, and then we'll worry about the dress." Temari let out a shaky sigh, using her wrist to brush a stray lock of hair away from her forehead. She grimaced when she smeared blood on her forehead. She was trying so hard not to lose her self control.

The girl still had not regained consciousness. While her breathing patterns were steady, her breaths were very shallow. Kankuro didn't feel comfortable leaving her—the recent addition to the clan reminded him more and more of his human side. When you were only around vampires, it was easy to forget the allure of human beings. Not that the sight of someone dying was particularly inviting of compassion to a vampire, though.

"Keep that towel on her neck, Kankuro. If you keep lifting it to taste her blood, she's definitely going to die," snapped Temari. Her voice was harsh and spiteful, but the way she was scrubbing the blood from her hands killed the effectiveness of her words. It was obvious she was struggling as well.

"Sorry..." he murmured, pressing the towel down with a little bit too much pressure. Her clavicle snapped, and Temari gasped in surprise. "Oh ...shit. Fuck. What are we gonna do, Temari? I am not a doctor, I don't know how to do this!"

"Neither am I, remember? Blood gives me the _willies,_" scowled Temari, her sarcastic remarks reminding Kankuro of her failed attempts at rescuing those who'd been attacked before. Over the years, Gaara had grown accustomed to disposing of the bodies of those who she could not save.

They were kneeling on the floor in the foyer, by the front door. Temari hadn't made it far with the girl's body—it reeked so strongly of blood that Kankuro had zipped right over, expecting that they would be sharing the dinner that he presumed Temari had started. Sakura sat helpless on the ornate bench that doubled as storage for various things of a life that the Sabakus had long since past. The door, tall, black, and made of thick wood, loomed before them. Sakura knew that it was imperative that Gaara get home soon so that they could deal with the girl, but by the way that Kankuro and Temari were acting, she was honestly a little terrified of his return.

When he finally did return, he rushed through the door with a sense of urgency. He had heard the fragile heartbeat, smelled the volumes of blood that had poured from the girl, and could almost taste her on his tongue.

Casting his jacket aside to the small bench, he ignored Sakura's grunt of displeasure as he inadvertently pelted her with said jacket. "I presume you both thought letting her bleed out on the floor was a better alternative than calling me?"

"We didn't want to disrupt you while you were hunting..." mumbled Kankuro, averting his eyes. Gaara growled deep in his throat, and Kankuro and Temari withdrew from the body.

Gaara lifted her wrist, squeezing to see if she had enough blood for it to turn red. His suspicions confirmed, he let out another scowl of disgust. "Temari, stop bringing people home. This is no poor house. She needs blood."

"I can't get her a transfusion—we don't have any spare bags—"

Kankuro cut her off, saying, "Not _that_ kind, Temari." Gaara had meant for one of them to give blood. While effective in healing, it created a strong bond between the giver and the taker of the special blood. Not like that of turning one into a vampire, no, but it did garner a similar relationship. It offered a sense of dominance over whoever consumed the blood. A sense of ownership.

Sakura was mildly disgusted by the idea—she had heard in detail from Temari what had been done to Naruto, and how terribly he'd reacted. She was terrified that the girl would begin to writhe and scream in terror once they gave her the blood, as Naruto had when he received blood from Gaara.

Wordlessly, she rose to her feet and exited the foyer through the closest door she could find. Her heels seemed much louder as she clattered across the smooth, wooden floors. She was in the living room now, though it looked a little bit different than it had when she and Temari had passed through there earlier. As Sakura reached out her hands to lean on the back of the sofa, she realized she was still clutching Gaara's jacket tightly in her hands. She nervously set it down on the couch.

Anxiously she jerked her hair back into a messy bun, using the hair bow that she never took off of her wrist. She couldn't help but notice that her hands smelled pleasantly of leather and man. Tentatively, she picked up Gaara's jacket and smelled it. If heaven had a smell, she presumed that parts of it had to smell like this.

Sakura set the jacket back down and wandered around the couch, to fix the carpet. It had been rolled back for some reason. She paused when she saw a long crack where it looked like there was a loose board. She glanced around herself, knowing that she shouldn't be snooping, but unable to help herself.

Carefully fitting her fingers underneath the edges of what appeared to be a loose board, she pulled them upwards as though she'd break the board. Sakura only wanted to see if the board was loose; she was quite surprised when some kind of panel lifted up. She peered inside, surprised to see what looked like another room beneath it. She sighed, moving to close the panel—she didn't want to get caught snooping around down there.

She paused when something caught her eye—it looked like there was someone down there. She pushed the panel back as far she could, to give herself more space. Gripping the edges of the floor, she leaned forward so her head hung over the edge.

Sakura froze when she realized that she in fact _could _make out the shape of a person. Inside her head she was already thinking of things that it could be—perhaps a coat rack with a coat on it, or... she was running out of the possible "Could-be's."

A small gasp of surprise escaped her lips when the figure disappeared, and simultaneously her hands were jerked forward. With her hands no longer supporting her weight, she fell haphazardly through the opening in the floor.

* * *

GAARA HAD DONE it. Temari smiled softly as she heard the girls breathing stabilize and her heart beat strengthen. Temari refused to sample her blood—she didn't want to be staring at the girl when she came to, knowing what her blood tasted like. She'd have felt like she was violating her somehow.

Gaara had allowed Kankuro to indulge himself, so long as he didn't create any fresh wounds or take any blood that hadn't already escaped her wounds. For a little while, she'd been worried the girl wouldn't pull through, even after the massive volumes of blood she'd leached from Gaara.

Temari sighed, pulling the comforter back over the girl. She had been checking for tattoos—some way to identify her. The girl, whoever she was, had obviously sustained head trauma. She was hoping that the girl would have a name to give them when she awoke.

* * *

KANKURO STUDIED THE smooth skin of the girl, licking his lips. Every time he looked at her, his tongue tingled with the taste of her blood. He bit his lip, warding off the impulse to tear into her skin and suck her dry. He let out a low curse when he realized that his fangs were already present, as if egging on the idea of his draining her.

He pressed a hand over his mouth, trying to think about anything other than that. He had to watch over her 'til she woke up—he was still in trouble for disappearing the other night, and he owed her a favor.

Kankuro figured now was as good a time as ever for a piss break. Vampires generally metabolized most of the blood they consumed, but the plasma part of the blood didn't hold any nutritional values that his body could absorb.

His took care of his business, wincing a little as he pissed. The terrible quality of the blood he'd been drinking was coming back to bite him in... Well, not the ass. Chuckling at the irony of his situation, he zipped his pants and washed his hands. It was a habit, by now—it wasn't as though germs could kill him anymore, but he did it out of respect for his sister who would have been disgusted if he had touched her without washing.

Kankuro and Temari were much closer than he and Gaara or Gaara and Temari had ever been or ever would be. They understood each other, and often went out of their way to help one another. Together, they could help keep Gaara reined in and keep him from going mental. Sometimes he got so depressed that Kankuro worried no amount of hunting could get him back to normal again.

'_I can understand that, though...'_ Kankuro thought to himself as he sank into the chair at the bedside of the unconscious girl. '_He has a lot to deal with...' _

Kankuro restlessly pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time—by the looks of things it was going to be a long night.

* * *

SAKURA SAT UP slowly, her vision swirling. She could still see the figure, but her vision was bleary. She lurched to her feet, forgetting that she was wearing heels that were a little bit taller than she was used to. Her right ankle buckled slightly, and she hissed in pain.

When she looked back up, she could just see whomever it was moving away from her. It had to be a woman—she could see the trails of fabric in front of her. She didn't know what on Earth possessed her to follow her, but she couldn't help herself. Her curiosity was getting the best of her and she couldn't shake the urge that she just _had_ to follow the stranger.

She had fallen into a room constructed of stone. There were stone tunnels leading away from it, but soon the stone ended and she was wandering along on a dirt path. Sakura was growing frustrated with her pursuit; because her heels were pressing into the soft earth and she was afraid she'd lose her balance and fall again. Limping along down here was not how she had imagined spending the evening. This was preferred to the screaming of the new girl, though.

* * *

GAARA, UPON WALKING into the living room to go back into his labrynth, was greatly disturbed when he noticed that the floor had already been opened. He inhaled shortly, a growl forming in his throat when he noted that it was Sakura he smelled.

Rushing forth, he sped through the tunnels. It only took him moments to find her. It was apparent to him that she was not even lost.

"What do you think you're doing down here?" he demanded, grabbing her by the arm. Sakura let out a terrible scream of surprise, her whole body convulsing with fright.

"I-I—the woman! I thought it was a loose board, and I was curious so I pulled on it, and then I looked in and I saw somebody. I h-had to find out who it was! I don't usually do things like this, but-"

"Shut up," hissed Gaara, giving her a look so cold that Sakura did shut up. Goosebumps broke out on her arms and calves, and a shiver rippled through her body. His eyes rejected her gaze, and he looked down at the ground as he pondered what she had said. "You saw her?"

Sakura nodded anxiously. She wished that he would let go of her arm. Her left hand was beginning to tingle and feel like dead weight, as it always did when it fell asleep. She hardly found herself in a position to make any demands, though.

Gaara suddenly strode down the hallway, jerking her along with him. Sakura cried out in surprise, struggling to keep pace with him. Her heels impeded her process thoroughly. However, Gaara refused to slow down, only relenting when her ankle rolled beneath her once more. She cried out so loudly and so pitifully that it hurt his sensitive ears.

"I'm sorry! I just can't keep up, though." She apologized, gasping in surprise when he casually threw her over his shoulder. "Oh... Thanks..."

Gaara carried her to his lab, not bothering to move at human pace on her behalf. When he finally got to his lab, he dropped her onto the stone slab that he slept on when he got too tired to carry on with his worth.

He said nothing to her as he started to mix something together in a small beaker. Sakura glanced around the room, slightly perturbed by the mad scientist theme. She was more frightened of him than ever, and she was sure he knew it.

She decided to try to make some conversation to lighten the doom-and-gloom attitude of the room. "So, what do you think happened to the girl that Temari and I found? "

Gaara didn't bother looking up; he could practically feel her emerald green eyes burning into his skin. He casually swirled the contents of the beaker, wafted them back to himself, frowned ever-so-slightly, and then set it back into its holder. "She was bitten by something. Obviously. "

Sakura wilted slightly, and then let out a low sigh. Her ankle was throbbing. With fumbling fingers, she pulled one of her heels off. A ragged breath caught in her throat as she tried to remove the heel from the foot that she'd rolled only moments ago. It had swelled significantly.

She tugged on it in frustration, unable to contain the whimper that escaped her. She tried a few more times, in vain, before conceding her defeat. When she looked up, scowling, she noticed Gaara was staring at her, a bemused look ridding his features. What handsome features they were...

Sakura blushed, looking away. The image of his face was still burned into her memory though. There was something about him that was just utterly... intriguing. His alabaster skin, fiery red hair, and cool blue eyes were the picture of male perfection. She guiltily forced herself to think of Naruto; she couldn't ogle somebody else just because of what had happened.

It had been different to be repulsed by the vampires when she hadn't known that someone she loved would become one of them. The idea of sex with someone who was dead had been disgusting before, but what about Naruto? He didn't seem dead to her at all. Neither did Gaara for that matter.

Gaara though looked a little haggard. She noticed this as he moved closer to her. He sat down on the slab next to her, his deep set eyes plagued with dark, sickly looking shadows beneath them. The rims of his eyes were tinged black; his need for sustenance was so great and so prolonged.

Sakura had to look away, for fear of losing herself in them. Gaara leaned closer, and she felt her breath catch; she was secretly hoping that he'd kiss her even though she knew it was wrong. She bit her lip when he carelessly closed his fist around her ankle. It was a rude awakening, but he'd made his point.

She was surprised when he began to gently pull the dangerous shoe from her puffy, abused foot. His hand lingered on her ankle, though. He did not move away from her. Sakura parted her lips, feeling the blood rush into her cheeks. Gaara's eyes narrowed and he studied her gaze for a moment as he leaned in.

He smirked slightly as she closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly for the kiss that he expected. His left hand snaked behind her head to entwine in her hair. Before she could pull away or shout, Gaara yanked her head to the side to expose her throat. Baring his fangs, he savagely tore into the velvety column of her throat, taking long, dragging drinks of her liquid life. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at how pathetically she'd bought into the idea that he would kiss her.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, what did you think? I know it's been forever. Way to long, yes, yes. But, I missed writing for this and I wanted to get it going again. I hope Gaara is still in character, haha. :] I am having some different plans for this than I did a year ago. But, we shall see how this goes. :D 3 Please review-I'm anxious to hear what you all have to say. **

**As for Sakura... What should happen in her love life!**

**A.] End the Sakura/Naruto already! We want GaaSaku! **

**B.] Keep the Sakura/Naruto-Gaara can wait! **

**C.] Sakura becomes romantically inclined with Kankuro. **

**You decide, everybody. :] It's up to you! :D **

**Peace, Love, and Tennis, **

**Lauren/Mellokai**


	8. Apologies

NARUTO EXHALED SWIFTLY, leaning his head against the wall. He'd been sitting on his bed for almost the entirety of the night; he couldn't help but wonder why it seemed that Sakura was avoiding him lately.

He couldn't deny that he was a vampire now, which surely frightened her. Naruto laced his fingers behind his head, idly wondering what he would have done if the situation were reversed. What if she were the one who was cool to the touch?

A dry, humorless laugh tumbled from his lips. He would have loved her just the same. He knew it. He was hopelessly in love with her. He pushed himself to his feet, trying to ignore the throbbing sensation of hunger that burned through him. Would he ever be able to look at her again without thinking about the blood that rushed through her veins? Temari had said he would, but it was still a concept he had trouble wrapping his head around.

As he made his way to the living room, Naruto noticed that Sakura's heartbeat seemed to be moving around awfully quickly. She couldn't move that quickly... Naruto traced his way to her room, where she was headed. He moved as quickly as his body allowed him, but by the time he got there, she was already neatly tucked into bed. Asleep.

The smell of fresh blood bombarded his senses. He crushed his hand to his mouth and nose, gagging at the thought of sucking every ounce of blood from her delicate frame. He imagined tossing her aside like a ragdoll, and liking his lips.

Naruto forced himself to gain his composure again, and moved to Sakura to see if she was hurt. He checked the most obvious place first—her throat. Like a moth to a flame he was drawn to her blood. However, there was none to be found on her skin. He could smell it where it had broken the surface. All that remained of any blood that had been spilled was the faint smell, and tender, pink skin. Whoever had taken from her had healed the wound somehow. The most likely suspect was Gaara; Naruto knew what he was capable of.

His brows knitted together as he was struck with a sudden realization. It mattered not how angry he was at the moment; there was not a single thing that he could do about this. Furthermore, he didn't know what confronting Sakura would accomplish. If she had let Gaara drink her blood, she might break things off. If she had not wanted Gaara to touch her, Naruto could potentially embarrass her and make things between them even more strained.

Cursing his luck, Naruto set out to find the only person he knew could help him. All he had wanted was for things to go back to normal. He had thought they were almost back to normal, but now he wasn't sure.

* * *

KANKURO'S GAZE SNAPPED from his phone to the source of the slight rustling sound. It took him a second to realize that the sound was caused by the girl moving her arm a few inches across the fabric, and then furthered by her fingers scrabbling across the fabric.

He waited, impatiently as the girl's features crinkled in confusion. Her light brown eyebrows drew together. It looked as though she was convulsing, but Kankuro knew she was simply sleeping. Granted, she was not sleeping easily but she was finally out of the realm of unconsciousness.

Kankuro sighed in discontent. It was difficult to not have a name to put to a face. She didn't look like anyone that he'd met recently. She had to be more than a few towns over from the city. She definitely wasn't from this town—that much he knew. It was too small to not know who everyone was. Gaara didn't get out as much anymore; he still went hunting and so on, but it was he, Kankuro, who did the networking for the family. Perhaps he ought to start using some of those connections to find out who she was...

TEMARI FROWNED, TRYING to rationalize what Naruto had just told her. "Naruto, you do realize that even if it was Gaara, you can't exactly do anything about it. You know I love you. But I can't go against my brother. "

"I know that!" snapped Naruto, an edge of desperation soothing the cutting tone of his remark. "I just... I already lost her once. What if she let him do it?"

"Then she let him. What is to say that he didn't just take what he wanted? You two are engaged, are you not? I should think that you would trust someone that you're engaged to." Temari knew that her remarks would cut to the bone, but she couldn't have him causing a scene; not before Gaara trusted the new member of their family.

"I _do _trust her!" whispered Naruto. "But I don't trust him. Besides... we were engaged before all of this. I don't know if she can forgive me. "

"Forgive you? For what?" Temari bit her lip, trying to repress the emotions that he was radiating to her. Nausea was bearing down on her.

Naruto shook his head as if to say that she wouldn't understand, then wordlessly he left. Temari exhaled angrily. She wished that there was some way that she could help him—but at the moment her hands were tied.

* * *

THE GENTLE RUSTLE of the wind caused h is robes to flutter, flaring wide as he strode across the empty field. Sarutobi's face was heavily drawn with anxiety, his focused on a most pressing matter. It was urgent that he spoke to Tsunade, one of his daughters.

Kakashi was hot on his heels , face buried in an ancient text. It detailed the love life of Cleopatra—in astonishing detail—and the effect she had on Egypt and Rome in ancient times. Sarutobi's book collection was of an astonishing size—he'd been cultivating it for millenniums.

"Why are we here, master? I thought we were going to—"

"We are here to speak with your sister, Mercutio, or have you forgotten what she smells like?" Sarutobi chided softly, turning to look at his vampire offspring.

Sarutobi sighed softly as he lifted the antique rapper, the door that accompanied the door knocker looking equally as ancient. Kakashi smiled slightly as the resounding thuds of the sturdy, ornate metal reverberated throughout the foyer, then the rest of that house that stretched out behind this door.

The antique rapper bore the insignia of Sarutobi's clan, a burning oak tree. The handle to the rapper consisted of the roots of the tree, which twined intricately around one another to form a beautiful, timeless design.

The home was indeed quite old. So was the disgruntled vampire who opened the door. Sarutobi smiled, pleased that his pupil's senses had not diminished over the years. "Ah, Jiraiya. I'm glad you knew we were coming. You never did like to disappoint me, did you? I didn't expect to see you here, though, I must admit."

"Yeah, well... Me either," admitted Jiraiya, reaching a hand over his head to scratch between his shoulder blades. "Let me change. I was, ah, looking for inspiration from my own life—"  
"Yes, yes, get on with it, then," laughed Kakashi. "Next time, we're tag-teaming. I got bored of rereading about Koko's sex-filled adventures in Taiwan. Sixty years is TOO long, dammit!"

Mercutio rolled his eyes at Kakashi's shameless demands for more ridiculous smut from their old companion. At the rate they were going, it would take weeks to even get back on track.

* * *

KANKURO STARED AT Gaara incredulously, as if he could not even comprehend the words that his brother had just spoken to him. "You want me to leave?"

"Yes," his brother replied curtly. "I have business for you to attend to tomorrow. Now go. Feed."

Gaara watched with apparent boredom as Kankuro stared at him for another moment longer, trying to determine whether or not his brother was bluffing before whizzing off to find more food.

When satisfied that his brother was gone, Gaara moved further into the spare bedroom. In a businesslike manner, he yanked the chair that Kankuro had been lounging in closer to the queen sized bed. A quick adjustment to the girl's body laid her sideways across the bed, so that her head was near the chair.

Assuming a seated position in the chair, Gaara braced his elbows against his thighs as he brought his hands together. He pressed his finger tips against each other as he exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he gathered his focus.

Gaara kept his eyes closed as he moved his hands to the temples of the girl's head. Casually brushing blood-stained hair out of the way, his fingers came into contact with her clammy, feverish skin. A slight grimace crossed his face as he entered into her mind, taking a peak at the strange, unknown girl that lay before him. A frustrated sigh escaped as he realized he realized he would not be sharing any information with Temari or Kankuro because it was immediately obvious to him that when the girl woke up not even _she_ would know the events that had left her so hopelessly vulnerable.

Scowling, Gaara disengaged his hands to lean back in his chair. A few moments passed where he sat there staring at her, wondering what to do with himself. When those moments had finally come and gone, he leaned back in and set to work racking her brains.

* * *

SAKURA SAT UP slowly, cracking her neck as she moved. Her body was rather sore, protesting with any sudden moves. She smiled when she noticed Naruto sitting next to her, nose practically buried in a book.

"Whatcha reading?" she asked with a yawn. Naruto shrugged, and handed over the book. "... Really? Harry Potter? What are you twelve?"

Naruto chuckled, and averted his eyes. "So, are you okay?"

Sakura's smile vanished, and she looked down at her hands guiltily. "Naruto... I have to tell you something."

Naruto sucked in a nervous breath, waiting for the inevitable. He bit his lip, wondering how she would break the news to him. Would she be direct, or would she beat around the bush?

"I had sex with Gaara."

Well that hadn't been what he was expecting. "... What? I thought you were going to tell me he _bit _you!"

"How did you know that?" she demanded, her emerald green eyes riddled with confusion.

"Forget how I know it, what the fuck... you had _sex_ with him!?" Naruto's breath caught in his throat, and he had to look away for a second. "What... But. Was it before or after he bit you?"

"Both..." Sakura shifted uncomfortably. She'd never expected that he'd want to hear the details. She couldn't believe she'd told him either, but the guilt was eating away at her. "He bit me, and then we had sex, and then he uhmm... He bit me again."

Naruto averted his gaze, downward and away from her. "Did he... did he start it?"

Sakura pressed her hands into her face, repressing a sob of frustration. She felt terrible about this, but she couldn't string him along if she didn't feel the same as he did. "Naruto... "

"Just tell me! We can work past this... Can't we?" She could hear the edge of desperation, and it cut through her.

"I can't, Naruto. I'm _so _sorry, but I... I don't think we're gonna work. Too much has changed. I'm not the same person, and neither are you. Nothing I can say will make this be any less awful."

He was gone before she could finish her sentence. Sakura felt pathetic for crying when she was the one breaking up with him, but she couldn't help it. She'd broken his heart, though. It broke hers to break his, though. She just hoped that someday he'd forgive her. It wasn't like he was running out of time.

* * *

KANKURO WAS WITH the girl when she woke up. Once he'd gotten back from his hunt, he'd gone to relieve Gaara of her—he had a feeling that Gaara had grown bored with the favor he'd done for his brother.

He wasn't quite sure what to say to her when she woke up, so he just stared at her for a moment.

"Who are you?" she asked groggily, sitting up slowly.

"I'm Kankuro... Who are you?" He scratched his head, realizing how painfully awkward this conversation was.

"I' m-... I don't know. .."

**Author's Note; NO. I'm not happy with this. I kind of am really pissed off by it, but whatever. You gotta write to get the story going. It took me a long time because most of this was painfully awkward to write. I have no intention of making Sakura out to be a slut, so don't worry. Naruto is heartbroken, naturally, but Sakura wouldn't be one to cheat on him over and over. The story will progress, but I'm a little shaken up about where. **

**Do you... **

**A.] Want to see what the hell is going on with Sarutobi, and his weird group? **

**Or. **

**B.] Find out more about the new girl—I might not have her be called Kai, I might pic something different.  
**

**Gaa/Saku is inevitable. So don't worry. Haha. **

**With love and more stories for later,  
Lauren. :] 3 **


	9. Flirting with Fear

KANKURO SIGHED, TUGGING at the neck of the shirt he was wearing. The close-fitting top hugged a little bit too tightly around his muscular neck as he jogged through the night. He hadn't gone running in years, actually, but it was always something that calmed his mind and put him at all of the tension in his home, his supposed place of peace and comfort, he could no longer bare being holed up with the agitated members of the clan.

In all honesty, he felt quite terrible for Naruto. Gaara had a way of worming his way into people's minds; he could get them to do whatever he wanted. He just wasn't sure whether or not Gaara had actually forced Sakura into doing anything.

Rounding a bend, Kankuro exhaled slowly. Vampires started put in perfect physical form, but poor diets and a lack of exercise could lead to physical decline. Gaara had lost massive amounts of muscle, and grown much too thin. Kankuro has lost some muscle tone since Gaara had forced the rest of his clan to restrict their intake, only feeding off of those who couldn't possibly be missed. That usually resulted in bad blood- blood that was either riddled with drugs and alcohol, or the blood of very unhealthy people. Kankuro could hardly stand it at times, but he persevered.

Secretly, he couldn't help but to be pleased that Gaara was getting a taste of real, healthy blood again. Perhaps Gaara would allow everyone to feed off of the new girl, seeing as she couldn't remember a thing about her life before the attack. She couldn't even remember the attack, so it wasn't like she'd be afraid. Kankuro made a mental note to talk to Temari about it.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

IT SEEMED THAT staring at the ceiling was all he did anymore. It was obvious to Temari that Naruto was thinking about Sakura, but in reality it wouldn't do him any good. Sakura was equally torn up over the situation, but it was because she had caused all of his pain and suffering.

Temari exhaled heavily, blowing an ornate paper flower through the air. It landed on Naruto's chest, though he took no notice of it. Temari frowned, quickly making another origami flower. This, a task that would usually take about an hour or so per flower, took her only moments. She made three more before she sent them over to Naruto in a spiraling breath of air.

Naruto barely stirred as the flowers landed in his hair. He was too tired to be openly surprised, and couldn't bring himself to care about Temari's expert craftsmanship. He winced when he heard her exhale wearily before moving towards him.

Taking a seat on the large bed, Temari brushed her fingers through his hair. She smiled softly as he closed his eyes and sighed. It comforted him, but he detested how he felt like such a child. Temari, picking up on this emotion, immediately stopped.

"Lying around being miserable is only going to make you feel worse, Blue... I know you feel like shit now, but come on. You need to eat-how long has it been?"Temari rose a brow when he opened his eyes, a grimace forming on his lips.

"Like three or four days..." he admitted, his expression further when she sighed in distaste. "What?"

"Either you are THAT incredibly depressed, or you have remarkable control over your hunger... Come on. you need food. For as young as you are, you could lose control if we don't sate your appetite."

"I'm too tired to hunt, Temari!" protested Naruto, covering his face with his satin-covered pillow.

"Good thing you don't have to hunt, then," chuckled Temari.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

GAARA SAT ON the edge of the stone slab in his laboratory, a fist pressed snugly against the underside of his jaw as he contemplated life. Sakura's blood, still fresh in his system from his early visit with her the previous night, had put the zing back into his step. He hated to admit it, but his body was already craving more.

He wasn't sure whether her blood was just THAT incredibly good, or if it had just been an incredibly long time since he'd had blood from a clean, healthy source. A rueful smile crossed his lips as he rose to his feet, deciding that the only way to find out was to sample around.

No more than five minutes later he was opening the door to their latest charity case's room, only to find Temari and Naruto already occupying it.

Temari was drinking from the girl's wrist, while Naruto held her other hand. Gaara rolled his eyes, even more aggravated that they were trying to refrain from frightening the girl. He did as he pleased, and if he needed to, he could simply erase them as he always had.

"Get off of her, Temari. I came here to compare notes, not wait on you two to have fun with your latest pet," he snapped, baring his fangs.

"I'm a pet? But, you said-" started the clueless girl.

"It's an expression, dear, I'll explain after- Gaara! You really ought to give her warning before-" Temari fell silent when Gaara lifted his mouth from the girl's neck to glare at her. Blood dripped from his lips, and dribbled down his chin

Gaara began to leech from her once more, ignoring the terrified gasps and the way she trembled. He pushed her to the brink of her consciousness before he let go, retracting his fangs. Giving Naruto a smug, victorious smirk, he licked the last of the blood from her neck and shoulder before pushing her back to the bed. "Mmm. What a shame you can't taste any, Naruto."

Gaara wasn't talking about the girl, so much as he was Sakura. Naruto was young and strong, but he still needed to know his place. He knew that Temari would take extra measures to make sure Naruto could feed off of the girl as soon a s she had regenerated further, but Gaara was sadistically pleased to deprive the youth of food for Tue evening. Gaara did not share-even if he didn't truly care for the girl either way. She was a silly little thing, to believe that he was capable of such a useless emotion.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

TO SAY THAT she was terrified would have been an understatement. She could practically feel the blood trickling out of her; her life trickling out of her as though it was meant to be. Then, it stopped. Her eyes, heavy as they were, obeyed her command to open. She could see the dual shocks of blonde hair as they loomed over her, no longer threatening to suck her blood. Was this normal? She felt it was; this was the second time she'd woken up with people in the room adhering to her wounds. Perhaps this was what waking up was.

"Here, knick your thumb so it bleeds a little and smear it over the punctures, they'll heal over quite nicely. Think of this as a running course on being a vampire," instructed the female, her index finger pressing into her shoulder where the blood had been gushing. Temari, that was her name. It was strange, but it suited her.

"I am, I am... this isn't fair. Her already has Sakura! Is he planning on starving me? I know I can hunt—"

"Naruto, I love you but you are dense. He's mainly referring to Sakura. It's... a dominance thing. I'll make sure that you are the first to feed off of her once she's healed a bit further, but Gaara is basically telling you to deal with the situation. He's not going to back down. Remember this for the future—Gaara never, ever backs down. It's his way or the highway. Actually, it's more of his way or you're _dead, _if I'm going to be realistic." Temari sighed, and then smiled slightly as Naruto did as she instructed. Placing a hand on their patient's cheek, she whispered, "Don't worry, hon. Just stay away from my brother and he hopefully won't kill you."

A bolt of emotion struck through her body as she tried to sit up. She had no clue what the emotion was, but she couldn't be sure. It didn't feel very nice though. It was agonizing to not know what she was feeling. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Naruto..." mumbled the boy with blue eyes. His cheeks were smooth, save for some light stubble around his jaw. He didn't scare her.

"And _I _am Temari. Think of me... as the house mom. I keep everyone in line." She came across as rather sarcastic, a little bit rude sometimes, but Temari genuinely seemed to care.

"Okay... well... Who am I?" The girl asked, slightly afraid of what their answer might be.

"No clue. But I hereby dub you... Brownie." Temari stared at the girl intensely, waiting for a reaction from her. Naruto offered one when the girl smiled, ignorant of Temari's lame joke.

"You can 't call her brownie. What is it with you and colors? Besides her hair is like, gold-ish. Hmm. I don't know but nothing that reminds me of Sakura."  
"What's Sakura?" She bubbled, leaning in with interest.

"A heartless soul-sucking monster," muttered Naruto, raking his hands through his hair.

"Oh... Okay! Are you guys... Sakuras?" She paused when Naruto frowned, and then rushed to explain. "Well, I keep waking up after you guys try to eat me, and supposedly I was attacked last time, so I was just curious."

Temari burst into laughter, and hugged the girl for a moment before pulling away to give her an amused smile. "You are hilarious. You're dumber than a fucking stump, but dammit you're hilarious."

The girl smiled brilliantly, completely clueless to the insult. "So, I guess that means you're not, huh?"

"No... hahaha. Come on, brainless, we gotta get you some clothes," laughed Temari. This would be fun while it lasted, and at the moment she was getting a decent eyeful—something she wouldn't say no to while she could get it. The girl's clothing had pretty much been shredded when she was attacked, so she was basically in her underwear. Naruto, heartbroken as he still was, didn't even notice.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

THINGS AROUND THE house were rather lonely for Sakura now that she was constantly avoiding Naruto. Before, she'd been able to converse with Temari. It helped a bit to know that Temari was still an ally, even though she loved Naruto and hated to see him hurt. Sakura almost wished that Temari would make a move on him, but Temari assured her that her feelings for the boy were platonic. Sakura didn't know how to feel about that.

If she was relieved, it meant she was still in love with him enough to be jealous. If she was indifferent, it meant she'd already moved on—something that terrified her. How could she have moved on already when she was set on living her life with him a mere few weeks ago? Things _had_ changed though, that much she couldn't deny.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she begrudgingly selected a stack of books from the decent library that the Sabakus had in the center of their home. The only TV's in the house were in the living room, where Kankuro was vegging out after his marathon run, in Temari's room where she outfitting the vapid new girl, and in Gaara's quarters. She dared not venture into Gaara's domain of her own accord.

That alone sent up little red flags in her mind, but she couldn't help but be entranced by him. She was intrigued by his features—the way his face looked in the half-light of the tunnels. The blissfully alive look that overcame him when he kissed her... she knew she had to affect him on _some _level. She just hoped it was enough to matter to him.

Setting down on her bed, Sakura took a moment to reflect on the sheer magnitude of the home. She'd already fallen in love with the antique look of the almost ancient mansion, but she couldn't understand why she'd never actually been here. She'd heard about the place plenty as a child—it was purported to be haunted. Someone once told her an old woman had lived here, but that obviously was not the case now.

She'd supposed that maybe the Sabakus moved in later, but Gaara continually talked about the house being his mother's, not theirs. That meant that they'd been here a long time. Just how old were they?

Sakura shoved the thought from her mind, slightly sickened. She didn't want to have had sex with someone so vastly older than she. She couldn't change what had happened though, and given the chance she would probably end up doing it again. He just had that affect on her.

**Author's Note; Yes, Yes. I apologize for it being so short—especially since I took a while to write it. I wrote the majority of it on my phone, so please don't complain about errors . :/ I wanted to give you all something to read, and I hope I didn't disappoint. **

**Any ideas for what they call the new character? That's obviously gonna be my OC, and I'll do my best to keep her in line. Tell me what you think might be a good name, and I'll take all the suggestions in stride. I'd prefer one that would be logical to the situation for them to nickname her—like Temari did for Naruto by calling him "Blue" before they found out his real name. :]] **

**Tata for now, my lovelies. :D 3 I shall return with more, I promise. **

**-Lauren. 3 **


	10. Shut Up and Kiss Already

GAARA SIGHED HEAVILY as he flitted in and out of the undergrowth. He needed more blood; draining Sakura dry wasn't enough to fuel him anymore. The demands of work were increasing, the clan was growing restless with inactivity, and he needed to feed In order to perform a few odd jobs to bring in the monthly wages.

They could afford to miss a few months of work, being as they were well off to begin with, but there was nothing that Gaara hated more than a lazy person who chose to have fun rather than work than the situation presented itself. There was also the situation of taxes. If they didn't do enough supposedly "normal" business, then the government grew suspicious when they paid their property taxes, among various other taxes, with money that they had no records of making. The last thing he wanted was to be audited.

Gaara pulled the slip of paper from the pocket of his tan trench coat, reading the name that he'd jotted down when linked up. Tonight, rather than feeding off of cracked-out, cheap blood; he'd be feeding off of a different kind of criminal. It seemed only fitting.

He traveled on for another hour, coming to a small town a few hours from his home. It reeked of suburban conformity, something he couldn't stand. It was too easy to stick out in these kinds of communities.

With a swift, silent leap he landed on the brown-shingled roof of the home. In the dark light, the soft-green of the home's siding looked more gray and bleak. Rather fitting, really. Gaara smirked slightly as he pressed himself against the roof, avoiding the light of a passing car. In two quick, silent moves he was inside, having slipped through a dorm window. Kneeling on the bench that was building into the wall that jutted out from the roof, he eased the window shut. He frowned when he saw the little girl sleeping in her bed, but remembered that he was doing her a favor.

Naturally, the man was sleeping with next to his wife. Gaara made a mental note to make tracks to someone else, so that the child would have someone to watch over her. Should anyone else ask, he'd assure them that he was just taking extra precautions to cast aspersions on someone else, and save his own ass rather than look out for a little girl. But he understood how hard it was for a child to grow up without parents.

Technically, he'd had a father. But his hadn't been worth a damn, and neither was this one. Gaara figured it would have been better for him, had someone offed his father for him. Too little, too late, for him though.

Gaara pressed a finger against the woman's temple, raising a brow slightly when she stirred slightly, her body jerking as her eyes fluttered. He inserted himself into her mind before she could fully wake, and filled her mind with a deep dream before he informed her of her husband's deeds. He would naturally blame it on another pedophile friend of his, but he needed her to play along with his scheme. Controlling her wouldn't be easy though; getting someone to obey his will was no longer a large task for him, and this was even easier for him because she was asleep, leaving her mind open to manipulation.

Without making a noise, he zipped back to the child's room to ensure that he could keep her body still while he killed her father. He didn't want anyone to barge in and object with what he was going to have the wife report to police.

With a smile, he jerked the slumbering man out of bed, clamping a hand over his mouth before he could protest. The man, late in his forties, had the makings of a pot-belly, but was still in reasonably good shape. This didn't matter, though, not when facing a creature built for killing.

Fishing the weapon that he'd fetched before his little excursion, Gaara brandished it in one hand as he kicked the coffee table against the sofa.

"Well, Morton. What have you got to say for yourself?" purred Gaara, enjoying the intense spike in the man's heart-rate. The man's struggles ceased.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" he demanded, trying to wrench himself free. Gaara let him go, turning right to throw him into the recliner. The force of Gaara's throw landed the man on the recliner, which flipped back onto the floor.

"I know a lot about you. Let's just say... I'm a concerned citizen. A citizen concerned about the safety of your daughter," snarled Gaara, leaping over the chair, to grab the filthy geezer by the collar of his flannel night-shirt. "Considering your... _extracurricular _activities...I don't think it's a good idea for you to be around her anymore. "

Gaara resisted breaking the man's neck when his lips began to purse, then he began to gasp for air, struggling to reach an explanation. He looked a like a fish, slowly suffocating at the end of a fishing pole. He was trapped and he knew it.

Gaara made quick work of killing him. He smacked him around the room a bit, to create the look of a "struggle." It wasn't much of a struggle for him, though. Maybe it was a struggle for greasy little Morton, who was getting the life beaten out of him, but not so much for Gaara.

Patiently, he sat down on the floor, squeezing the man between his legs. He withdrew a needle, connected it to an empty blood bag, and then inserted the needle into the crook of the man's elbow. He took enough to feed himself-two bags worth-and then neatly put the blood back into his jacket. Safely sealed up, he could eat it once he left the house. But, first things first. He bit into the flesh of his thumb, and quickly smeared his venom into the miniscule wound puncture in the man's arm, so it would heal over. That would be odd to explain on an autopsy.

Gaara made quick work of stabbing the man once, twice, three times in a manner that would look frenzied and thoughtless. Then he waited until the life oozed completely from the man before leaving, making sure to collect the knife and unlock the door. It was illogical to keep it locked.

He licked his fingers, to make sure he wouldn't leave any fingerprints, before he exited via the path he'd taken to get into the house. Gaara greedily slurped down his bags of blood, sucking every lost drop of blood he could, before he sprinted two blocks down to the other man's home. It wasn't hard to curl the man's fingers around them, push some of the other man's blood and skin under his finger nails, and even scuff of the man's face. Taking over the man's mind was almost laughably easy. Gaara did laugh, once he was on his way back home. It was a night well used; he fed, conducted some poetic justice, and didn't even get any blood on his clothing.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

LAUGHING TO HERSELF, Temari skipped over four of Sakura's checkers. "King me, bitch."

Sakura grunted in annoyance and complied, settling one of her slain black checkers on top of Temari's vibrant red checker that had just committed partial genocide against her.

"You just got lucky there," she joked, pulling her shoulder length pink hair into a ponytail. "I can't believe I thought playing checkers would be a good idea."

"Well, when you've lived for as long as I have, you get pretty good at it. It's not hard to predict the moves!" Temari smiled, reaching across the board to readjust a few pieces of Sakura's bangs. "There ya go. So, tell me, how is it that you are naturally pink-haired?"

"Well, when I was younger I had some form of albinism, I guess. After a while, the pink faded out, so it's like a dull-rosy blonde. But sometimes I like to revamp it and use some pink dye. Other times, it just gets pinker on its own. I'm not sure what to make of it, to be honest. I don't know if the diagnosed me correctly. I do sunburn, but I don't have much problem about it. I'm like everyone else in that respect. I think it's more of a pigment disorder..."

"Can you dye it colors other than pink?" inquired Temari, intrigued by the odd, yet delightful color.

"Yeah. I just have to be careful, or I end up looking like an idiot. Sometimes it's just easier to let it g-you bitch! Stop killing my little checkers! What did they ever do to you!?"

"They challenged me to a match, haha! Or was that you, silly?" Temari winked, watched calmly as Sakura made her next move. Temari beat her-yet again-in a few more turns.

They spent a little while talking about boring, mundane things. Sakura was trying to avoid talking about Naruto, but she knew it would come up sooner or later. When it did, she was a little bit surprised about what Temari had to say.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing? Naruto _loves _you, Sakura. For Gaara... you could just be a... way to pass the time. "

Talk about being blunt and direct...

"I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I know I don't feel the same about Naruto, though. I don't know... Maybe I'm just trying to run from my old life and all the things that happened at the Piggly Wiggly, but when I... When I look at him, I see Ino dying on the floor of the freezer..." Sakura trailed off, scraping her thumb against the fabric of her jeans.

"Well if you bored of Gaara, I can always hook you up with one of my guy friends, sweetie. They're, naturally, all vampires, but they are much more approachable than he is. I hate to see Naruto hurt, but maybe this is for the best. I'll have to find him a hot little vampire to shack up with in the meantime-"

"He won't go for that. He's... like incapable of using people. He'll get over it in his own time, I know he will. It's just going to be harder for him until he does. "

Temari sighed, and then smiled, cupping Sakura's face in her hands. "I'm so glad you know him so well. It makes helping him feel better so much easier! By the way, how are you adjusting?"

"Adjusting? ... To what?" Sakura raised a brow in confusion.

"Being nocturnal! Did you forget you used to be _awake_ during the day?"

"Oh... Well, I hadn't really thought about it. I might actually go out and tan in a while, if that's the case. I am getting awfully pale," she laughed, and inspected the skin on her arms. "I mean, I am _usually_ considered pale, but this is getting ridiculous."

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

"NO! YOU GUYS are supposed to shoot, duck, and then run! You don't duck, run and shoot!" Kankuro groaned, covering his face with his hands. "You guys are awful teammates, you're gonna get me killed. I'm never gonna beat Sasori at this rate."

"Calm down, I'll get better. Believe it, I learn quickly," muttered Naruto, setting the remote down so he didn't squeeze too hard in his frustration. Kankuro, who often lost his temper and either chucked the remote or squished it to pieces, had a large stop of X-box controllers for just that purpose. Naruto had stumbled across them in an effort to entertain himself.

"I think I'm learning pretty quickly, too! I already know five swearwords, what the "x" button does, and how to crouch!" protested the new girl. Kankuro had taken to calling her "yuko," for her gentle nature. He wondered if, with all of her memories, she would still be so soft and trusting. It was like a having a child around; there was a constant stream of questions when she was presented with something new, and then a few moments of her fiddling with the concept before she accepted it. The exact opposite could occur after a while. He remembered from personal experience-it was utterly irritating to not know things that you felt you should already know.

Kankuro nodded, offering a small smile. "I know. It's just frustrating. I'm used to sitting here and winning by myself."

Yuko sighed in discontent, unsure of what to do. "I feel like I have forgotten about something... But I have no idea what it is."

"Have you eaten?" Kankuro asked, setting down his remote. He was almost positive she hadn't. He guiltily leapt up to grab her some food, realizing that she'd been there for at least two days already and they had forgotten to feed her.

"Have you eaten yet, Naruto?" she inquired, the memory if Gaara feeding off of her fresh in her mind. It wasn't hard to have a memory be so fresh when she didn't have very many memories.

Naruto sheepishly shook his head no, and frowned when she offered him blood. "Are you sure?"

"You act like it's a big deal. Don't I eat the same things as you guys?" Yuko raised her eyebrows expectantly. Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"No! Haha, you eat human food. Not blood."

"... Human? ...is that what I am? Aren't you human?"

Naruto shifted uh uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, well... I'm different than you. We look the same, but we're not."

Yuko stared at her feet for a moment and then smiled shyly."Will you still play game with me anyway?" When Naruto agreed she smiled. "Good! Then I have to let you! Temari told me that you and me were gonna be friends, and if we were gonna be friends I had to let you, so things were fair. Plus, she told me you were nicer than Gaara and I don't want to be his friend. He's scary. I finally learned the word for that."

Naruto smiled slightly, wishing she'd stop talking so much. He was so used to seeing her bubbly and happy that he was afraid to make her cry when he bit her. Thankfully, Kankuro arrived with food for her. She finally realized how hungry sue was and was quiet for a little while as she stuffed her face.

"I forgot to get her food, ugh. I can't believe I forgot. "Kankuro admitted, chuckling darkly.

Naruto shrugged. "It's okay; I don't think she can hold a grudge. Temari told her that I'm allowed to feed off of her since we're such good friends now... Thanks for playing with me. I needed it."

"Uh... Anytime, dude."

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

"WHERE'D YOU GO last night? I was a little worried you weren't going to come back..."

At the sound of Sakura's voice, Gaara turned around, feigning surprise. His coat was still in his arms, folded precisely in half and looped over his right arm. "Sakura, I live here. Why wouldn't I come back?"

Sakura, flabbergasted, stared at him for a moment. Gaara was amused by the way lips parted in disbelief, staying that way until she gathered her wits. "I was... it was an expression, Gaara!"

"Mmm... why do you use expressions that do not reflect your true wishes? You were not worried about me coming home- you simply want to know where I went and why." Gaara smiled when her face fell; she realized that she had been caught.

"Had I asked, would you have told me?" Sakura smiled slightly, taking a tentative step closer.

"No, "he smirked. "Although, I may now...But, first... I'd need to do something."

Sakura placed her hands against his chest, a smile spreading across her glossy lips. "And what would that be, hmm?"

"Mark you as mine."

Gaara smirked as Sakura paled. He was almost surprised when he bit her and she didn't even protest.

* * *

[.-_-.]

* * *

KAKASHI FROWNED AS he listened to Sarutobi and Tsunade speaking. The leader of the Akot clan had been invading the Sabaku's territories in repeated attempts to rile Gaara, the clan leader of the Sabakus, into a fight. Gaara wasn't taking the bait, which was good. However, other boundaries were being crossed... Boundaries that not even Gaara could ignore.

**Author's Note. Blah. I am having issues keeping the subplot up to date. I can't just leave it out, either, because it will be important later. **

** Yay or nay on the name? **

**Any special requests? **


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